Hope In Black
by Scarlett-Whitecross20
Summary: Zarkon and Voltron’s battle didn’t quite end the way they thought. Both good things and bad things resulted... but to Keith it seems all bad. Even despite one positive thing that happened. Though at the moment... it doesnt seem to positive after all...
1. Flicker Of Hope

Voltron: Hope In Black

Chapter one: Flicker Of Hope

Voltron and Zarkon's robot armor slammed directly into each other, sending both back the way they'd come; a couple beams of space dust remaining at the collision point. The power had just returned the Zarkon's central command ship and the castle was preparing to retreat. Coran had headed off to pick up Princess Allura and Kolivan; leader of the Blades, who had just fought the Druids and destroyed the Komarr. The two robots recovered themselves and charged again. Voltron pointed their sword charging like a jouster towards their opponent.

"This is our last chance!" Shiro called from the Black Lion. "Let's finish this!!" The Black Paladin thrust one of his handles forward; each of the other Paladins doing the same with on it both of theirs. As they plunged head on toward Zarkon, colliding once more a beam of light erupted, blinding them from view. The exploding light died down to reveal the two mechs blankly staring into each other's optics... With Voltron's sword piercing right through Zarkon's armor. Out of rage, Zarkon thrust his robot forward, grabbing Voltron's head; Galra purple energy spiking all around them. Zarkon's hoarse voice thundered in a battle cry that would send even the darkness, itself, fleeing from the mere sound of it. The Galra emperor forcing every ounce of strength within him into Voltron. Shiro, on the receiving end of most of it, struggled against it; desperately trying to resist the immense power coursing through him. The energy was like electricity growing stronger and stronger, he could hardly hold onto the handles and keep Voltron steady. But even through the horrible pain and struggle, he still caught sight of the open bayard lock, still empty... and waiting to be used. The energy's influence ensued harder upon him as he took up the newly recovered a Black Bayard, and thrust it into the lock. Turning it the Black Lion's cockpit lit up and the sword's blade burst into flames.

Keith drew back and plunged the sword in again, that same electrical energy now cracking the sky all around them. The five Paladin's let out a battle cry of their own as more energy surged from them channeling through their single weapon, as they finally sliced through the robot; dislodging it. The giant alien mech gained a purple glow that kept building, Zarkon's cry rumbling from his throat as the mech finally exploded floating off into space. The explosion created a blinding light that engulfed all of them. All that was left was a shipwreck of a Galra robot and a pinkish-purple Ora from the scattered space dust particles. Voltron, having been blasted back into lions, were now lifelessly floating amongst the wreckage as well. Metal creaking as broken ships and debris bounced off of them.

"Ugh, did we do it?" Lance groaned, beginning to recover himself. He looked up and the other lions recovered as well.

"Is it over?" Hunk asked, before the Blue Paladin got an answer. They all looked at the remains of Zarkon's battle ship armor; sparks flickered from it, but the decapitated mech signified their victory. And at that moment the castle hovered down over head.

"I have Allura and Kolivan, we need to go!" Coran called over the com. As the lions jetted back toward the castle; Keith caught something out of the corner of his eye, and gasped when he looked toward it.

"Shiro!!" He cried, seeing the motionless lion floating far off to their left.

"We need to tow him back onto the ship." Pidge called, as she and Keith turned their lions sharply to retrieve the lifeless Black Lion. Pidge's face appeared on the screen next to Allura at the teludav.

"Princess, we're all on board." She said. A wormhole opened as Galra fighters began pursuing them, but the ship went through before they could attack.

Keith tore through the castle in a dead sprint, only one thing on his mind.

"Shiro!!!!" His voice cracked and he tried desperately to hold back the tears that threatened to escape his eyes. His footsteps echoed... and his breaths did too. His heart raced and pounded in his chest, as he forced himself to run faster. The sound of footsteps behind him sounded distant, yet close, but he hadn't a care. He slid quickly and stampeded into the Black Lion's hanger in a mad sprint.

"Shiro!!" His voice seemed to echo more, still feeling distant despite the cry being his own. The Red Paladin's paralytic run soon ended as he slid through the sliding door to the Black Lion's cockpit.

"Shiro!!" Keith's voice rasped once more, at the sight of Shiro limply draped over the left side of his chair. The Black bayard still remained in the lock. Keith recovered Shiro so that he lay face-up against his chest. The Black Paladin barely even stirring. He looked to be asleep, but the atmosphere told another story. "We need to get him to the infirmary!" Keith decided dragging him out of the chair and across the floor a ways. Lance and Hunk coming to help.

Upon entering the infirmary Keith, Lance, and Hunk set Shiro up onto the table, then Pidge, Allura, and Coran came in to assess him. Keith stood back, biting his lip, hoping to stop the tears that threatened to flood down his face. A tearing feeling in his chest pushed a lump into his throat, which urged him to fight the tears harder. Pidge finished placing sensors on Shiro's head then tapped at her computer. She got readings almost instantaneously, and as she studied them more closely; her eyes flashed. The Green Paladin turned to awkwardly face the rest of the team, but only about halfway. Her eyes refusing to meet theirs, as she leaned her left hip against the table, somewhat, behind her; at an angle to it.

"Pidge What is it?" Allura asked gently. Keith looked up at Pidge as soon as the Princess said this. His heart lurched in his chest at the expression on the small girl's face.

"Pidge? What is it, what's wrong?!" The Red Paladin's tone betraying the calmness he _wanted_ to portray; but panic ensued upon him both slowly and quickly at the same time.

"Well..." Pidge's voice was low as she began. "The sensors we placed on him picked up his vitals almost immediately... and they showed very low brain activity."

"What does that mean?" Keith asked with wide eyes, his frantic behavior increasing a little more.

"Keith." Lance spoke up, gaining the Red Paladin's gaze. "Shiro's... in a coma." Lance could hardly form the words, his voice cracked unsteadily as he somehow found the words. Hearing this, Keith suddenly felt a part of him snap within him.

"No." He breathed slowly. He rushed forward and gently brushed Pidge aside. "No, no, no, Shiro!! Shiro!!" He cried frantically, shaking the Black Paladin's shoulders. "Shiro!!!" He screamed, tears now flooding down his cheeks as he tried desperately to wake Shiro.

"Keith." A warm hand on his shoulder slowed his dazed panic, releasing a pained numbness upon him. "He's still alive. And there's a small chance he might wake up from it, but it may not happen right away. It may take time." The voice was familiar, Pidge? Or maybe Allura's... Keith hadn't even the slightest care at this point. His heart was shattered, and voices he may have been hearing were distant and echoy. He began to sob uncontrollably as he sank to his knees, his hands still braced up on he table; tears rolling down his nose and dripping off his chin. His vision was completely blurred by as many tears as he was crying. His stomach had dropped at hearing what Lance had said, and now he felt sick as though he might throw up. He gripped the edge of the table so tightly he almost thought it would break in his grasp. His whole body was tense as his emotions flooded out of him like a broken dam. His cries were muffled by his position, though they were low in volume as well. Pidge having seen this hid her face in her hands and stood sobbing. Lance tried to sniff away his own tears as he pulled the Green Paladin into him. Hunk's eyes glazed over as tears flowed to his eyes. Allura's heart shattered, her own pain of the loss of Altea and her father stabbing her relentlessly at the sight of Keith. Not one of them could keep from crying for long; even Coran shed a tear or two. And their remorse for their fallen leader fed off the others'. Keith's chest began to hurt so much he could hardly breathe. He choked on a couple breaths, as another wave of tears welled up from his glassy blue eyes. He was completely zoned out, from the painful display behind him, but the sound of Pidge's sobs soon informed him that he was not alone. Suddenly a noise from the monitors went off, every teary eye looked up immediately.

"His vitals are dangerously low." Allura stated, her heart nearly skipping a beat.

"No, Shiro!" Keith coughed hoarsely. Coran quickly took out a mask and placed it over Shiro's mouth and nose.

"They're still not coming up." Pidge sniffed, her side hurting from crying.

"Shiro, please!!" Keith begged, his head down again, the team looked to the floor preparing for what was about to happen, Keith's sobs echoing softly below them. The pulsation song the screen getting slower... and slower... and slower. Keith continued to beg, uncontrollably mumbling to himself; helpless to do anything else.

"Wait a tick!" Coran suddenly said, hurrying to the control panel. His fingers tapped at it furiously. With one final button press, the edges of the bed rose up a little, Keith drew back in feeling this change, his tear-filled eyes widely watching as a cryogenic shield went up around Shiro. A pinkish-purple gas has was suddenly released within the pod-like chamber, and dissolved into the air inside it. The red lights on the screen finally vanished as the pulsations on it seemed more regular.

"He's... He's normalizing!!" Pidge gasped thankfully, almost not able to believe it.

"Thank you, Shiro!" Keith mumble hysterically. "Thank you!"

 **Hey guys, I'm back!! Sport about the break, but in January, being a Christian, our church does prayer and fasting. It's a way for us to prepare for the year to kinda know the direction God wants us to take each year. And this year they decided to do one for three weeks straight. But lucky for you guys I didn't loose progress on my stories.**

 **So this story was actually suggested to me by someone a little while back(thank you Shiranai Atsune!), and I haven't fully worked it all out, but I think it'll be ok. And I hope you guys enjoy it, this is meant to be an alternate ending to season two's finale Blackout. Hope you enjoy!! Thx!!!**


	2. Paralytic Thoughts

Chapter two: Paralytic Thoughts

Keith sat alone in the room, his tears had long been dried on his face. Though the stinging pain from them still pierced his heart. The blue shield that now surrounded his friend was all he focused on. The blips on the screen next to him signifying Shiro's life still living, heart still beating; despite the poor condition he was in. Though on the outside he looked fine, the inside was most certainly a different story... and Keith knew it. And he couldn't stop thinking about it too. His seemed numb to anything and everything other than Shiro lying there, his mind no longer one with his body. _And for how long?.._. no one had a clue. All that they knew was that Shiro might _possibly_ wake up... and hopefully be able to live as before. Keith held desperately onto that small strand of hope; wanting to believe with every ounce of his being that it was. Though he could also feel a strand of doubt latching itself onto him, like a parasite to suck away any shred of hope he had. That small flicker of hope struggling to stay lit, like a candle running out of fuel. The yarn-like fibers of that single strand of hope being the only thing he could hold onto, he feared that if it slipped through his fingers... he would slip away with it. The sharp tentacles of guilt, pain, and fear knocked at his door, but he was refusing to let it in. Instead he was trying to pile as many things in front of that door to keep them from getting in. Covering up any possible place they could squeeze through to get him. He felt like a little kid afraid of the dark all over again; frantically trying to get away from his fear however way he could. Terrified that it would overpower his efforts and get him anyway; but still he stayed knelt on the floor. Terrified to move for fear of what might happen, though he wasn't, at all, superstitious.

The team stood along the walls of the lounge, each leaning against the wall a different way. None of them speaking, none of them moving. The only sound amongst them; was the occasional clearing of throats and awkwardly, bored sighs. Not one of them knew what to say, neither did they know what to do. All they could think about was Shiro's near-death, and Keith's violent reaction to it. Those memories were now stamped into their brains, and they could not get them out. And just when they'd try to think about something else... they'd end up thinking about it once again. Each of them, at different times, would open their mouths to speak. But the words died in their throat, and they stopped.

"We need to stop this." Allura said, finally bringing herself to break the silence. "We can't just sit here while the Galra still have control of the universe." She went on, the other Paladins fully focused on her. "We don't know when Shiro will wake up; but Zarkon has been defeated, and be must start freeing planets and gaining allies. Or the Galra will continue to dominate us."

"But what do you suggest we do?" Lance wondered intensely. "Without Shiro, we can't form Voltron to take out bases to free planets. Seems like we're kinda stuck, if you ask me."

"Well we didn't ask you, Lance. So can't you just lay off!" Pidge snapped.

"Guys! Enough." Hunk stepped in. "This isn't gonna work if we sit here and argue with each other. I mean come on, if we've gotten this far there's gotta be something that we can do." The Yellow Paladin thought for a moment. "Right?"

"You're right, Hunk." Lance agreed sheepishly, turning to the Green Paladin. "I'm sorry, Pidge."

"Yeah, me too." Pidge replied, putting a hand to her chest. Lance stepped closer to her and held a hand up to the girl, who clasped it firmly in forgiveness.

The darkness was accompanied by a gentle purple glow, the long transparencies from which this glow originated connected the decapitated Galra warlord to a life-giving source, which only one fully knew of. That one in question stood at his side, looking on as the bubbling purple liquid flowed in and out of his body. Her yellow eyes unable to show emotion, but yet her mind was full of them. Some unfamiliar, yet, familiar in a way; ones she knew not where it came from, but was still there nonetheless. Pushing away these thoughts, she turned on her heel and floated silently away. When the door opened a Galra commander stood awaiting her command, to which she blankly obliged.

"Summon Prince Lotor." She commanded, in a sinister tone.

The team stood in front of a door. All of them knowing what, or more importantly, _who_ was on the other side of it... Each one of them hesitating to go in. Pidge approached the door, her hand reaching toward it. Her hand suddenly stopped; just barely touching the metal. Her heart leapt into her throat and she turned to walk away.

"Pidge!" Lance gasped, catching her by the arm. Feeling the tension on her arm and the hand that gripped it, she stopped to stare back at him.

Keith had finally stood up. All he could do, was stare down at the distant-minded Black Paladin on the other side of the glassy force field that preserved his life; as of now. Keith's focus ran in circles, his mind a giant roundabout of oncoming thoughts. One after the other, but he felt as though none of them were useful. He pressed hand a little bit firmer to the glass, his tears long gone; but his heart still bleeding with a remorseful fire within his chest. His ribs stabbed knives into his sides, as he took a deep breath. The pain shooting through his body; and up his back from there. The painful pressure strangling him, both in the neck _and_ the upper body. At this point, Shiro was the only thing keeping him from leaving this place and never looking back. Because, to him, life wasn't worth living without Shiro there with him. Keith could recall many fond memories of Shiro.. more than he'd had of anyone... even his own father. In fact there was a time not long ago that he'd spent with Shiro, a short time before he left for Kerberos, that he'd never forget...

 _The sunshine pigmented the evening sky all shades of pink, purple and orange. Some spots looked as though someone had painted liquid gold across the panorama of the infinite sky, as the stars began to poke through the fleeing light. The sun sank lower into the horizon, as though it were being planted into the ground like a seed to a garden. But when it grows, it will emerge from the other side and be planted in the same spot all over again. Shiro and Keith beheld the beauty of the dry desert-like landscape dappled by elongated shadows from the golden sun's progressive absence._

 _"Shiro, why is this mission so important to you?" Keith asked, deverting his attention from the display before them; to he older man sitting beside him with his arm casually draped over his upright knee. "Of all the missions you've been apart off, this one seems to be extra important to you." Shiro searched his face thoughtfully for a moment; their eyes locking, when Shiro broke it with a sigh and closing his eyes. His chin dropping, as he searched for the words._

 _"I guess it's just that my.. problems have me at a bridge that's about to crumble." Shiro stated, keeping his gaze downcast; then lifting it to the sunset, as the darkness ensued upon the earth. "And if I don't get to the other side,.. I'll fall into the deep pit with it."_

 _"What's that supposed to mean?" Keith questioned crossing his arms. "You're gonna be fine. Nothing's gonna happen to you, as long as you stick to the plan. You've done this for years, and the Garrison are still backing you. Even if they aren't too thrilled about this mission."_

 _"I guess," the man shrugged. "But, at times,.. it seems like they're playing against me too." Shiro protested sarcastically._

 _"Cause they don't agree with you." Keith insisted gently. "They think their way is better... and nothing can change that. But I know you'll get through it." He paused, as they both looked into the darkening sky. The twinkling stars now sparkling above them. "I mean... you got me this far. I think you can do anything you set your mind to." Shiro lightly chuckled, a bit flattered by the young man's statement._

 _"As could you." He responded simply. Keith's eyes widened slightly at his response, but he remained silent as a shooting star streaked across the sky. Both Keith and Shiro marveling at it's beauty as it blazed over their heads, and disappeared off to their left..._

Keith's deep blue eyes glazed over, no tears emerging from them. But his mind still fully engaged in thoughts much like this one. As Keith continued to look as Shiro; so deeply immersed in his thoughts, he couldn't help but notice a whispering sound in his ears. The noise slightly growing and fading back and forth, like the uneven waves of water on a crisp, cool lake. Suddenly through that whisper a growl echoed in his ears, when he felt a strange source of warmth like a body standing behind him. A presence in the room.. besides him.

"Keith," a very slight almost nonexistent voice whispered. A warm breath on his neck made his hair stand on end and he thrust himself around... Only to find nothing?!

 **Hey guys, Phew!! Finally got another chapter done with this. I kinda got majorly stuck on this one; So I apologize for that!! But I hope it's worth it; because I kinda have an idea of where I'm gonna go with it now. But if you every have any ideas for me _PLEASE_ don't hesitate to share!! I welcome ideas. Though as far as new stories go, I'm not really taking requests because I have sooo many stories going. Anyways, hope you like it, and can't wait to see what you guys think of what's to come! Thx!!**


	3. Where To Go From Here

Chapter three: Where To Go From Here

The team jumped as the door suddenly opened. Everyone half shocked that Keith was now standing there, despite knowing that he would likely be the _only_ one to emerge from that room for a while.

"Keith!" Allura addressed him suddenly, upon seeing him. She then calmed her shocked voice, instantly dropping the surprised look on her face. "The Galra Empire may be without a leader, as are we... but we must do something beside wait around here like this. We _must_ start attacking as many Galra bases as we can to start to free planets. Kolivan and the Blade Of Marmora are ready to start as soon as possible."

"Why? We can't do anything... Not without Shiro. _He's_ our leader... _not_ Kolivan. Shiro's the one who should be making these decisions; not him." Keith's defensiveness was no surprise, but it still hurt nonetheless.

"Keith, if we lose even a _little_ ground in this war." Allura pointed out. "We could undo everything we've already done. With or without Shiro we _must_ continue this war, so that if..or-.. when he wakes up we will still have something left for him to help us fight for." Keith tensed his shoulders and looked at the floor; feeling the urge to cry once more, but gritted his teeth to avoid it.

"I know that you're right." He said, slight tension clearly in his tone. "We'll start tomorrow." He said, pushing past her, refusing to break his downcast glance. "We need to get some rest." Everyone watched him go and stood there a moment longer before following suit; quietly heading to their rooms without another word.

Lance strode alone to his room, deeply lost in his own thoughts; hands in his pockets. His troubled downcast expression lifted to find an equally troubled Princess Allura. She was leaning against the wall, with her arms crossed loosely over her body; leaning more on her right shoulder. As Lance approached she turned to leave.

"Hey- Allura; hold up." The alien Princess stopped and turned around to look at him. Lance's eyes softened and he slowly dropped them to the floor.

"Do you think- Shiro's.. _ever_ gonna wake up?" He asked, half wondering if he wanted to know.

"I don't know." The Princess admitted lowering her gaze with him. "He's in very bad shape. What ever Zarkon did to him, it seems to have left him in this..vegetative state. One I fear he may never wake from. And-.. I can't help but feel that it was my fault. I should have seen this coming. I should've known that the Galra are always one step ahead of us. Zarkon's robot was just one thing we _had_ to foresee; but we didn't. We didn't; and now Shiro is paying the price." Allura's voice became increasingly upset as she spoke; tears slowly beginning to well up as the rambling continued. "Shiro.. is now laying.. in a chamber.. that is keeping him alive.. And we don't.. even know if he'll wake up again!..-"

"Shh, shh; hey,.. hey, Allura." Lance hushed, pulling her into a tight embrace, the Princess sobbing to his shoulder.

"Allura, this is not your fault." He whispered into her ear. "Bad things happen. And we can't _always_ know everything before it happens. That robot.. it was a surprise for all of us. There's no reason we should've known about it. The Galra are always full of surprises, but we _always_ get through it. What happened to Shiro was not your fault. We all did our best to stop Zarkon; and we did that. Shiro just got the worst end of it,.. and we all feel terrible about that; but we can't lose sight of what's most important."

"But- h..how can there be- anything good-.. to come from this." She questioned, her blue eyes being two glazed over pools of shattered hope.

"I... I don't know yet. But I'm sure something will come out of this. Shiro will get better..." he pulled her in once more, her crying resuming with her right cheek plopping against his shoulder. "He has to." He half-said this to reassure, even, himself; trying to give himself the reassurance that he desperately yearned for.

after Lotor's introduction in the Galra arena*

The generals saluted their leader, as he returned from the battle arena.

"What your orders, now, my lord." Axca asked, peering up at him.

"Throk has fought a battle and lost, have him tranferred to the Ulypus system..." His icy stare making him look quite heartless. "Let him rot with the ice-worms." He finished and walked away into the darkened halls; followed by the generals respectfully. Walking passed another pitch black hallway... a misshapen figure was practically invisible... until they passed. Two yellow eyes tightened into mere slits, radiating unrecognizable emotion amongst the darkness. As Lotor and his comrades turned a corner, Haggar emerged from the shadows to stand watching in the direction they'd gone; a look of suspicion on her face despite the stone-faced glare upon it.

"Sire, Lotor is up to something." She said, gazing down into the Galra emperor's still face. "We must keep an eye on him... as he doesn't not seem to quite understand his duties fully as of late." The purplish glow of the liquid life support was the only light in the room; still, Haggar held her stare on Zarkon; the shadows obscuring his features in the dim light. Though she'd seen his face enough to know it quite clearly; so much so that she'd practically memorized it.

 _"Shiro?" Keith walked in circles, the dark void in which he resided seemed familiar yet unfamiliar at the same time. "Shiro? Anyone?!" The Red Paladin couldn't find anything there with him, other than the little balls of light acting as stars. It looked like open space, but yet he could stand and/or walk through it. He turned in a circle as he walked straight; not sure where he was going, or where he would end up. As he walked, there was a growing sense of urgency that increased the speed of his step. Pretty soon he was running as fast as he could; so fast, in fact, that he nearly stumbled as he was now sprinting headlong through this void._

 _"Shiro?! Guys,.. where are you?!" Keith cried between breathes. "SHIRO!!!" He screamed his name so loud, he had to clench his eyes closed; and when he did the lighting changed. He saw this change through his eyelids, and suddenly realized he wasn't running anymore and quickly opened his eyes again._

 _He was standing on a ledge, the trail that led to it behind him. And below him was the whole world lowered into an enormous valley that went on forever, showing everything bit of it. The colors of spring blurring together in many shades; more than he could count. The sun was half-set on the opposite horizon directly across from him, the skies painted with many more fiery colors. Keith's classic stare of blank confusion peered around at this. Was this a place he'd once been? Or was one from his own mind? Or perhaps maybe it was one he was meant go to. He could not recall, at this time._

 _"Beautiful place isn't it." Keith was startled and then shocked to see Shiro to his left. He was leaning against his hovering speeder, looking out at the display before them. Keith, while surprised that he was there, was more surprised that his hair was fully black and the scar on his face was missing. He looked just how he did before he left for Kerberos. Keith stood there staring in dismay; totally blindsided by this sight, that the amazing beauty of the world around them didn't matter anymore._

 _"I know what you're thinking." Shiro smiled his arms remaining crossed across his chest casually. "Where did I come from... truth is... I've been here the whole time. Waiting for you to remember I was sitting here."_

 _"Wha- bu- Shiro?!" Keith stammered; still overwhelmed by what he was seeing. "I- how did you-..."_

 _"He's not real..." a raspy female voice answered from behind him; making him whip around to look at her. She was clothed in a fancy red gown, the lighter red, white and silver lines giving her attire character. Her bright reddish orange hair glowing like the sun itself. Her green eyes tenderly stared into his own, reading his soul like an open book. "He is a figment if your own imagination. A recreation of the purest form of which you know him most." The woman told him. Her voice calm and gentle, she made no movement... and showed no hostility toward him._

 _"Who are you?" Keith questioned, also able to keep calm._

 _"I am your guide." The woman said. "I am your guardian, your protector; and in some cases... your rescuer." Keith's eyes widened at the last one._

 _"Red?" A slight smile bent her lips up, as a shot of golden light traveled around her pupils; her irises becoming a split-second ring of gold._

 **Hey guys, finally got the next chapter!! I'm still trying to figure out how this story will got but I now kinda have a main storyline now. And the main focus, now, is on the events that happen along the way. I right now figuring out has to piece it together. As you may have seen I will be using some events from the show in this story. But because this is an alternate version it'll be tweaked a bit.**

 **Also I want to warn you that there is a big change that happens in the show that is unavoidable for this story concept to work. But, I promise it'll be fixed towards the end of my story, I think, so take heart! For this I believe is a better way in which there could have done it. But til then enjoy!! Thx!!!**


	4. Adaptation

Chapter four: Adaptation

 _"How... how is this possible?" Keith questioned, still staring in awe of the woman standing before him._

 _"I am an entity of unseen ability and power." The woman told him. "I have not a name... but you may call me; Atali. I have always been here... though no one has ever seen me in this form."_

 _"Then how are you here? And why am I the first one to see you?" Keith questioned further._

 _"Because I have adapted." Atali responded simply. "And because you have found yourself in a position that is far beyond yourself. Far beyond **any** of you." Her gaze lifted to something beyond him. Turning back around, he saw that Shiro was still there. But no sooner had he seen him, did he melt into blackness and a gust of wind scattered him like dust; the speeder fading with him. "You are here because you are afraid of what might **be**... and what might **be** , scares you beyond measure. Beyond anything you could have imagined before." Atali had not moved from her place since she arrived, and remained still._

 _"I don't understand... How do you know all this?" Keith felt completely left behind, like there was some element to all this that he was missing. One that, once he'd find it; would finally make everything make sense. But that one thing; he couldn't seem to pinpoint._

 _"Every being has the ability to evolve, as do I and my sisters. But you must know... that you must be prepared... There is a war coming." Atali told him, turning her body at an angle to his. "One that transcends the place of what you know, and enters into a place of uncharted territory. But one you must come back from... danger is in the air.. It comes as a wind. A cold wind blows... it is coming. And you must burn the fire of hope within you; if you and your friends are to survive what is coming." As soon as she said this a cold wind leapt up, to send chills down Keith's spine; as it whistled through his hair and around his neck. "Keith Kogane; Spirit of Fire,... fear not your own imaginings. For what you face ahead, requires all the strength you can give... That strength... being Hope." At that moment he heard a thud, a muffled thud. Turning toward the sun it had also remained in the same spot... but something was different about it. A darkened look came upon it, it looked to be a being of some kind. It was hitting the sun as if it were a glass ball, and whatever was inside of it was trying to break out of it. It hit again, and again; and again, and the next time it came, it cracked and out of those cracks came darkness. Darkness that continued to spread as cracks, swallowing every ounce of light there was. Atali was soon drowned out by the darkness, even as Keith cried out to her..._

Keith was now sitting upward, sweat soaking him completely. His breaths were so abrupt, he nearly choked on the air that came with them. His eyes were bright; he was now wide awake. The deep blue terror in them searched the area... _nothing_. Just his room; and his warm cozy bed, the covers sprawled everywhere. Keith heaved a deep relieved sigh.

Keith looked past his hand on the glassy shield, the pulsations on the screen remaining steady. Keith's eyes remained soft, yet troubled, as he gazed down at Shiro on the other side of the shield.

"I can't do this without you." He murmured sadly, his voice shaking a little. His eyes piercing the glass and into the older man's still face. "I need you Shiro.. Please, come back to us... please."

After the events of season 3 episodes 1-4*

Keith's fists slammed against the shield. Anger turned to rage, frustration turned to lividity; all emotions that had once been significantly minor, were now amplified beyond what he felt he could handle.

"Shiro! Please!!" He begged. But when nothing happened, a crystal stream soaked his cheeks, converging at the point of his chin; and exploded on contact to the glass, shattering like diamonds to a mirror. "Shiro!-.. It's b..been weeks!! You- h..have t..to come-.. back!!" He remained hunched over, resting his arms where he'd hit the shield, his head lowered grievously. Through his blinding remorse he swore he'd heard something; his eyes lighting up, as his heart leaped in his chest. He stayed where he was, listening.. waiting.. hoping he wasn't imagining things. And then he heard it.

 _"Keith."_ The voice was so faint it was barely a whisper, but it was there. Keith threw his head up.

"Shiro?!" But nothing appeared, just an equally faint cry sounded. A warm source came up behind him, the Black Lion Pilot not moving an inch. He felt that same warm breath on his neck, as though someone was there. And all he heard was...

 _"Help!"_ Keith's eyes flashed, standing upright, another horrifying chill zapping up and down his spine; making his blood run cold, and boil at the same time. Keith's hands slid off the shield and dropped at his sides, and he hastily took off out the door as fast as he could.

"I heard him!" Keith claimed, leading the team into the room a short time later. "Something's not right!"

"How do you know?!" Allura questioned, a little alarmed by this claim.

"It's hard to explain." Keith answered breathlessly. "But we need to figure it out." Allura dropped her gaze away from him.

"What? What is it?" Keith asked, seeing the guilt in her eyes.

"Keith... it's been.. almost three phoebs since our battle with Zarkon. And-.." Allura trailed off painfully turning away from him.

"Shiro hasn't been getting any better." Pidge sighed, daring herself to look him in the eyes. "We've tried multiple times to get him off the cryogenic defibrillator, but-.. haven't had any success."

"What are you saying?!" Keith demanded, clearly becoming more panicked and agitated. Pidge glanced down, then back up at him regretfully.

"Shiro may never wake up. His body is not able to maintain life without the pod's cryogenic support system. Chances are, if we try to take him off of it completely... he won't survive long. And he may never be able to." The Green Paladin's eyes glazed over, and it didn't take long for Keith's to do the same. "Shiro... isn't going to get better." Pidge sighed, focusing her gaze on the floor; afraid to look up for fear of losing herself in the emotional pain that was, no doubt, coursing through all of them. Keith's heart skipped a beat and he felt as though he'd been slapped in the face; his eyes beyond glazed now.

"Keith... we..think it's time.. we show Shiro mercy... and let him go." The Princess stated slowly, half wishing not to have to say this. A lightning strike of anger erupted inside of Keith, plunging up from the depths of his heart at the mere thought of what she'd just said. The immense disbelief, anger and hurt bubbling up in him like a volcano about to erupt. He staggered back a couple steps away from them, speechless as to how to react.

"N..no!" He finally shouted. "No! I don't accept this! Shiro _will_ get better!! He _**has**_ to!!! _He's_ the rightful leader of Voltron!! Not me! The only reason I've taken it, is because Shiro's _going_ to come back to take the job back!! I won't let this happen! I won't!!" He stormed past them and left the room. As soon as he left, Allura immediately broke down, bawling into her hands, and Coran quickly pulled her in for her to cry on his chest. Lance hugging a crying Pidge; and Hunk staring at the floor, struggling to keep from crying himself.

Keith's knees buckled and he hit the floor, his hand catching him on all fours. He held back nothing as, he sobbed there on his knees; the Black Lion silently observing. His hands tightened into fists, his whole body tense; letting loose all the ugly remorse that forced us way out of him. All the tear-jerking, heart-stabbing, death-trapping, skin-tearing ugly abomination of a pain, that had festered within the depths of his being finally being torn out of him, kicking and screaming. The worst possible thing he could ever hear, was now an infinitely horrifying reality. One he wished had never even been a _THOUGHT_ in _any_ of their minds. In all honesty, he wanted to hate every single one of them, but his compassion for his team and for Shiro, and what he'd taught him, conflicted him against it. His feelings seemed to have no sense of direction now, his signals were crossed all over the board. And any time he'd try to root them out, he would always receive a jolt like an electric shock. It seemed like his own emotions were against him, and this battle ensued; pursuing him with everything it had. Then a realization hit him and he leapt to his feet, sprinting back the way he'd come.

The team was just drying their tears when the door reopened, Keith breathlessly stood their; his eyes cold as ice.

"Everyone out." He breathed menacingly. The tone of his voice stung each one of them in the heart, and they filed out as requested. The Red Paladin stood aside as they exited, Allura turning to face him as soon as she'd left the room.

"Keith; we _need_ to talk about this. Let's all sit down in the lounge, and figure this out." Allura forced herself to stare beggingly into Keith's deep flaring blue ones. Her desperate stare seemed to grab a hold of, and dragging out the compassion that had established itself within him, and he had to give in.

"Let's go then." He snapped, walking away stiffly; fists clenched at his sides.

"Keith; _none_ of us like this either." Allura reinforced, gazing painfully over at him. The Red Paladin leaning against the wall next to the door, his left shoulder braced to it; arms crossed and head slightly hung. He stood there stiffly, not able to look at them; not _even_ wanting to.

"Please; you _must_ understand, that _**none**_ of us want to do this." Allura begged trying to change Keith's attitude toward them. "But we see no other option. He isn't going to get better. And as much as it pains me to say this... but, I think, the best thing we can do for him.. is let him go." Keith didn't move. " _Please_ , say something! Show us that you understand." The Princess cried, tears welling up in her eyes at his persistent silence. Keith still said nothing, instead he walked away, and put the door. Allura broke down once more, as did Pidge. Their tears started everyone crying once more.

Keith came around a corner out of the shadows and onto dim light given by the castle lights on the walls of each corridor. As he emerged from the blackness, he placed his hand on the wall. That seering pain in the pit of his stomach rising once more. There to burn through his gut, through his heart, up his chest, and on to his face, and coming out his eyes. He clenched his jaw to hold back a sob, when he heard a distinct growl in his ears. He looked up as though someone were standing in front of him; even though there wasn't. Through the remorse on his face he managed a determined expression; and walked on, a little more confidently.

The team was once again, drying their tears; recovering themselves as best they could when an alarm sounded. Allura saw the icon on the screen; her eyes lighting up. She rose and retreated from the room as fast as she could. The Paladins and Coran looked at each other, then scrambled after her. Allura burst into the med. room, and froze where she was. Having caught up with her, the others peered past her shoulders and gasped. The table was bare, but they hadn't a moment to react when another alarm went off. Allura checked her wrist cuff, then pulled up a screen.

"Keith?! The castle is saying the Black Lion has launched! Where are you going!?" She demanded frantically.

"Somewhere you can't follow me. I'm not giving up on Shiro!" Keith responded firmly. "Maybe you have; but I can't! He means too much to me!! He never gave up on me! I won't give up on him!!" After that statement his disconnected, and the com went fuzzy.

"Keith? Keith?! Do you copy!!" Allura cried, closing her eyes and lowered her head. "We have to find him, and figure out what he's doing." The Princess decided, turning to the others.

"What.. just.. happened?!" Pidge cried, breathless with shock.

"He's running away." Allura sighed gravely, then turned to the empty table. "And he's kidnapped Shiro." She finished flatly.

 **Hey, how's is hanging everybody!! Getting really excited about this story!! All the plans I have! Anyway hope you guys enjoy as well!! Thx!!!!**


	5. The Runaway

Chapter five: The Runaway

Keith flew in silence, his only goal was getting as far away from the Castle of Lions as he could. He'd surprised, even himself, at how well he'd held himself together back there. How well he'd resisted the urge to hurt them when they'd told him what they said. He was amazed that he possessed enough self-restraint to resist the urge to let loose on them. Just another reason why Shiro was held at such a high regard to him; as his ultimate hero. He felt deep down that Shiro was the one good thing that had ever happened to him. And that he didn't know where he'd be without him. The thought of the man laying in a coma, protected by nothing but a cryogenic shield in his cargo hold, made him all the more desire-full to escape. Afraid that if the team were to find him or catch up to him, they'd try to take Shiro away from him. His best friend; who had never once let him down. The fear of losing him constantly stared him in the face; eating away at him with every second that passed, which only made him press the Black Lion harder. Suddenly he heard a growl, and the view on the screen shot into a hyperdrive-like light, everything speeding into darkness...

XXXX

"My Lord, one of the Voltron Lions has been detected on our scanners." Axca reported from her control panel. Lotor remained seated at his own station; he sat in an awkward position, with both elbows braced on the arms of the chair. He held his fists up at his face, fingers interlocking together pressing against his lips. The Galra/Altean prince shifted his weight onto his left side, his corresponding arm remaining straight up from his elbow; and the other lowering to his side.

"Which one?" He asked finally. Axca looked down to tap a few things.

"Hard to tell from this distance." She returned a moment later.

"Take us in closer." Lotor ordered, resuming his previous position, in a more forward weight distributional way. "But be wary of our position. Do not draw any attention to our location, find out what Lion we're dealing with. We need to know what we're up against."

XXXX

 _Keith stood in another dark void; he stepped around in a circle where he stood, to survey his surroundings. Nothing but an eery dark blue light glowing in the distance separating the ground from the, would be, sky. He saw nothing; he heard nothing. He only felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, a feeling he desired to rid himself of any way he possibly could. A wind whipped up and swirled around him, this wind, then, proceeding to blow a short distance from him; swirling up, and bringing a rising light with it. This light took a shape and Keith's face lit up as the light decimated to give way to.._

 _"Shiro!" He gasped. Keith stood wide-eyed, and mouth agape at the sight._

 _"Keith, listen to me." Shiro began, an oddness to his voice. "I need your help. It's hard to explain, but I know you and the other Paladins can help."_

 _"Woah..wait, Shiro-.. what's wrong? And how are you here?" Keith asked, seeing the uncharacteristic look of concern reflecting off his friend's eyes._

 _"Keith- I'm not- fully here." Shiro was saying. And as he did so, he would occasionally pixelate; like a faulty computer or tv. Another pixelated object would also appear; as though landing blows to him, making it hard to focus._

 _"Shiro. What's going on?" Keith was now becoming concerned; and a little panicked._

 _"Keith find the rest of the team! Go to them! You have get to them, you have find them so we can-" Shiro's gradual rambling was cut off by a cry of agonizing pain, and he held his abdomen and sank to one knee. The pixelation increased more as he did this. A fuzzy object like a foot materialized, kicking Shiro directly on the chest; knocking him onto his back. And then proceeded to stand right on him as if to crush him, and they both de-materialized before his eyes._

 _"Shiro!!" Keith called..._

Keith came out of it with a gasp, falling forward over the handles. Beads of sweat dripped down his face and off his nose; his jet-black locks hung heavily down, dangling around his face. After sitting there like this for a few moments, he threw his head up and pulled his lion to a stop. He looked back over his shoulder; about to get up to check on Shiro. When... _BLAM!!_ Keith was nearly tossed from the chair, and he grunted as he struggled to stay seated. Recovering from the blast, he looked up to search for the origin of the blow. The screen darted about, zeroing in on an invisible object a fair distance from him. The screen registering something he couldn't make out, but he knew all too well what it could be.

"Oh no." He breathed, then jerked the handles and the Black Lion whirled around and jetted off in a retreat.

"Stay on him. We can't lose him now." Lotor commanded. "He may know something of our cause."

Keith glanced back only long enough to see cloaking shield go down, exposing a ship that clarified one of his suspicions had been correct; and thrust the Black Lion faster. He quickly tapped a button on the panel to his right and quickly grabbed the handle once more.

"Team, come in!!" He cried.

XXXX

The castle bridge suddenly came alive, as noises and sensors went off bringing everyone to attention.

"Team come in!! Please!!" Keith's worried face popped up in to the screen.

"Keith! What going on?!" Allura asked, quickly, becoming instantly concerned; and surprised that he was calling them.

"I need a wormhole! Now!" Keith replied hurriedly. "I've got Lotor on my tail, and Shiro's in trouble!"

"Finding your location now." Allura called back, both The princess and Coran searching their assorted screens and panels; the Green Paladin plopping down in her chair to do the same. Keith grunted and flinched on the screen as another blast hit him.

"Need some help here guys." The Red Paladin reminded a bit impatiently.

"Almost there." Pidge breathed.

"Got it!" Allura cried. "Opening up a wormhole... now." Thankfully the wormhole appeared just when she said it would, and Keith pressed his lion faster toward it.

"Do not let him escape, launch projectile beta962!" Lotor barked.

"I'm gonna enjoy this." Zethrid smiled deviously; her seat then lowering her away.

A rocket-shaped object descended from the large ship's underside and launched toward the Black Lion as it entered the wormhole. Landing on its underbelly, the door of this pod-like vessel opened and clawed hands grabbed the metal. One of these hands took out a strange device, and jabbed it between the hanger doors of the cargo hold. Keith's screen lit up to his left signifying the breach.

"Someone's trying to get in." He said over the com. I'm going after them." And he got up to leave.

"Keith, wait!" Allura cried. "Let's us come help you, we need you to stay put. Keith!" But he had already gone and didn't stop.

Entering the cargo hold, he saw two fork-like prongs poking through the crack in the floor; and looked to what was just barely beyond it.

"Shiro!" He cried. Suddenly the door was jammed open. "No!!" Keith lunged toward the pod. Watching in horror as it dropped through the now open doors. The pod slammed into Zethrid, sending her flying back out of the wormhole just moments before it closed behind her. And Keith found himself being sucked out into the white tunnel of folding space and rushing energy. Somehow his chin hit the edge of the door on the way out and his helmet was knocked off was blown away into the abyss below. But yet he still managed to get a grip on the Black Lion's open hanger door with one hand, and Shiro's pod with the other; though it wasn't a very strong grip. Keith gasped for breath as he tried to grip harder, tension on both his upper limbs distracted him; feeling like strings being pulled in different directions. He looked ahead and saw the end of the wormhole nearly upon them, and for a moment felt relief. Feeling a slight jerk, he looked down to struggle for a stronger grip as it began to slip, which finally gave out and the pod flew away.

"NOO!!" Keith screamed, keeping his hand outstretched; eyes wide and pupils shrunk as small as they possibly could be. A beam of light decimated the pod from view; and suddenly it was dark, and all that could be seen for miles was open space. Keith hung there staring in horror; completely dazed by what had just happened, his other hand still gripping the Black Lion. Darkness fell even more upon him as a shadow was cast overhead, the Castle of Lions, being its owner, hovered in closer to pick up the Black Lion and its heartbroken Paladin.

XXXX

Keith emerged from the Lion's mouth, and dropped hard to his knees as soon as his feet hit the hanger floor; the team all racing up to meet him.

"Keith! What happened? Where have you been?" Allura questioned anxiously.

"This is all my fault." Keith murmured, almost as though talking to himself out loud. "I..I shouldn't have let this happen I-.. I'm sorry!!" He braced his hands to his knees. "I'm so sorry!" Crystal tears glistened in his deep blue eyes; his head remaining lowered and his mouth agape at what had happened. He, then, clenched his eyes closed and his jaw tightened, as he began to sob once more sinking even more; to now be face down to the ground bawling hysterically into his hands. The mere sound of it echoed around the entire room; as the Paladins, Allura, and Coran stood watching in both confusion and terror.

XXXX

"How did you let this happen?!" Lotor demanded, slamming a fist into his chair furiously.

"Forgive me, my lord." Zethrid apologized kneeling before her master in a respectful salute. She lifted her eyes to meet his. "But I believe there was something of value that was lost to them this day."

"Like what?" Lotor snapped, leaning back and narrowing his eyes down at her.

"I..it looked like a some kind of healing pod, I think." Zethrid responded, stammering thoughtfully, as she recalled what had come down at her just moments ago. Lotor's glare dropped into a thoughtful stare, pondering this fact; swiftly turning it over in his mind many times. His eyes suddenly lit up and he gazed back up at them.

"The lost Paladin." He breathed.

"Sir?" Axca questioned, turning to him.

"A Paladin has been missing for weeks since my father's last battle with Voltron." Lotor explained, still very much intrigued by this new piece of information. "And I believe we've just found it. We must track down that pod immediately... perhaps there is something of use to us in it."

 **Hey guys how's it going. Can't wait to hear your thoughts on this new chapter. Not entirely sure how many more chapters there is gonna be, but, I assure you, there is plenty more to come. Lots of cool and fun stuff that I am ecstatic about and I can't wait to see what you all think of it. But til then... enjoy!! Thx!!!**


	6. Cause For Alarm?

Chapter six: Cause For Alarm?

"What are we going to do?" Pidge asked the group, deep concern and panic in her voice. "Shiro's gone. And we have no idea where he could be.. or how to track him down."

"We can't give up!" Lance decided, his arms remaining loosely crossed across his chest. "He's out there somewhere and we have to find him. At least if he's with us,.. we know he's safe from harm... when he..." He trailed off, and everyone knew what he meant immediately.

"But where do we even _start_ looking?" Hunk pointed out.

"Anywhere along the length of Keith's wormhole jump. That's where we start." Pidge announced. "If the cryopod fell out of the wormhole, then he probably came out of it somewhere between here, and wherever Keith was when he entered the wormhole."

"Wait!" Keith's voice brought their entire conversation to a halt, and they all looked to him. He lifted his face to them. "Shiro's in trouble." He repeated from earlier.

"We know that." Lance told him. "That's why were trying to find him."

"No. I mean his _in_ trouble." Keith repeated again, re-emphasizing a bit more intensely. "Shiro needs our help. H..he's trapped... trapped in his own mind. I think something's... attacking him." He locked eyes with Allura. "I saw him.. I heard him talking to me... We need to help him." The look in his eyes told Allura that he was _very_ serious and _very_ genuine in his words. "I'm telling you, I don't think Shiro's dying. But he might if we don't do something." He insisted further. Allura closed her eyes and softly sighed; eyebrows furrowed.

"Then what do you suggest we do?" She asked simply, a dubious look crossing her face.

"Everyone get to your lions, but don't launch." Keith decided looking up. "I've got an idea."

 _XXXX_

Haggar's shadowy figure floated through the darkened hallways, she stopped at the door momentarily; waiting for it to open. The purplish glow rushed to meet her as soon as they parted ways; bathing her in light as well. She silently approached the bed, to stare down into the still face of the Galra emperor; her expressionless face and glowing eyes concealing her thoughts and feelings completely.

"Sire, I fear Lotor is not taking his duty's as acting emperor seriously. He clearly cares about anything _other_ than such duties. Please,.. return to us, before Lotor destroys the Empire with his carelessness and wayward agendas. He cares not for the Empire, nor does he seem to have any clue on how to rule it. This Empire seems to only be fit for you alone, return to your people; leads us once more." The Galra leader remained motionless, not a sound emanating from him. And seeing this, the witch's eyes narrowed slightly and she turned on her heel and left.

"High priestess." A Druid addressed her, upon her exiting the room.

"What is it?" She snapped sharply.

"We've just received word." The Druid reported. "Lotor has encountered one of the Voltron lions... alone." The witch's eyes flared at this single word.

"What has he need of the Voltron Lions?" Haggar questioned.

"I know not, my mistress." The Druid responded bowing to her. "Might I send someone to find out?"

"No.." Haggar declined. "Lotor is the emperor, and if he desires to attack Voltron it is not our place to question. It is _I_ that will handle him. But we must still observe what he does, in order to try and understand what he is after. Take leave of me!"

"Yes, high priestess." The Druid bowed once more and obeyed. Yet as she watched him go; her mind drifted to the doubts she'd had the whole time of Lotor's strange behavior, and kept these thought close at heart; pondering them profusely in her mind.

 _XXXX_

"Ok, what are we doing here, Keith?" Lance asked, a bit annoyed by this.

"If Shiro's trapped in his own mind there's gotta be a way to reach him." Keith explained tapping a few buttons on his dash. He then returned his hand back on the handle. "We need to figure out how to get to him. And the best way to do that, is through Voltron."

"I'm not sure I follow." Allura sighed.

"You told us that the lions are connected to us, and that they connect us to each other, right?" Keith implied simply. "So that means we can connect with our lions; and each other through them. Shiro's still connected to the Black Lion... I know it. And if he's in trouble... this may be our only chance at saving him."

"So what do we do?" Pidge shrugged, loosely gripping the handles.

"Relax." Keith responded softly. "Connect with your lions. Let all distractions fade away, to clear your minds. Focus on your connection, reach out to each other." Each Paladin closed their eyes listening to Keith's voice and focused with everything they had. The silence now remaining as they listened; waiting, and hoping that something might happen.

"I'm not feeling anything." Hunk said finally.

"Me neither." Pidge sighed.

"I can't either, I-" a glowing to Allura's right grabbed her attention and looking over the bayard lock retracted out.

"Allura? What is it?" Keith's voice asked.

"My bayard lock..." the Princess gasped, staring at it a little surprised.

"Hey, mine just opened too." Lance realized.

"Mine too!" Pidge breathed.

"Yeah same." Came Hunk's response.

"That's it! The bayards! They amplify each Paladin's life source!" Allura concluded. Keith acquired a thoughtful expression.

"Well then let's test that theory. Everyone!" The command was unspoken, but everyone knew it. Taking up their bayards, they jammed them into the locks together; and the world burst forth in to a light rushing into darkness.

 _XXXX_

 _Five circular platforms appeared in a tunnel of rushing wind-like energy, blowing through the glowing ocean of blue, like windy caverns of some kind. Upon those platforms white lights materialized the Paladins onto them. They all looked about them, staring into the oncoming wind, and around at each other._

 _"What do we do now!!" Pidge cried, shielding her face from the wind._

 _"I think we have to go through there!" Keith called back._

 _"Are you certain?!" Allura yelled._

 _"I see something up ahead, we've gotta hope it's better than staying here." Keith replied; and because the wind was so loud, they all had to practically yell at each other so they could hear them. "Come on! I think we need to go that way!" Keith leapt off the platform and jetted against the wind toward the object; and the rest of the team hesitating before following suit. Soon they were all battling against the energy pushing them back, their jet packs blazed and they groaned and strained to keep going. Finally their struggle was rewarded, and thankfully not in vain._

 _Pidge opened her eyes to discover that she was alone! She looked left then right; studying her location carefully, she realized that she was in a small room. And she could tell that there were others like it that went around in a circle, leaving a circular room in the middle. She could only vaguely see this, because the walls which boxed her in looked to be some sort of glass shield. But this glass-like substance was so snowy that all she could see through it were darkened shapes of walls and soft lights shining through it. Each glowing the other four colors of the Voltron Lions, and a sixth white light in the center, but, again, the glass obscured any detail of them._

 _"Do not be alarmed, Katie Holt?" A voice echoed. The Green Paladin looked around anxiously, when a light materialized a woman standing squarely across from her. Her eyes were soft, and her demeanor open to her. The gentleness of the atmosphere coming from her, put the tense girl at ease, at the sight of the stranger; though she couldn't help but be surprised by this._

 **Hey everybody another chapter!! Can't wait til you guys see what's next, got lots of plans I hope that you like. Also just so you guys know I am planning on using some elements from the show. Just not in the ways as might be expected. Again, excited to see what you think, but til then... enjoy!! Thx!!!**


	7. Breaking The Chains

Chapter seven: Breaking The Chains

 _"You and your friends have succeeded in something that has not been done; even by those that came before you." The woman told Pidge. "Along my sisters I have no name... but you may call me; Nani."_

 _"Zara." A woman introduced herself before Hunk._

 _"Shiko." Another said to Allura._

 _"Atali." The woman in red stated gesturing to herself._

 _"I am Angeli, Keith Kogane." The woman in black and magenta revealed to the Black Lion Pilot. "Each one of you are, as we speak, being separately encountered by one of my sisters." Angeli continued._

 _"None of your fellow Paladins can hear us at this moment." Zara was saying to Hunk._

 _"It is only you and I, here." Shiko assured Allura._

 _"Trust in me, as you have come to trust me in the heat of battle." Atali requested, her voice still remaining as calm and gentle as before._

 _"For we have been waiting for you..." Nani said. "For one of your own desires your aid, and needs it in order to live." Each of the woman extended their hands out; palms up and from their fingertips a ball of light emerged. This ball then swirled and an image appeared inside it._

 _"Shiro?!" Though the team was not together or able to hear each other, they had the same name on their lips; as they stared in shock at the image before them. The Black Paladin was in battle with a fuzzy being, which seemed to have no shape. It disappeared and reappeared randomly, attacking Shiro from all angles; landing blows most every time._

 _"Your friend needs you..." Angeli told Keith. "This is him now..." the image shifted to Shiro, laying unconscious.. as though leaned against a wall; propped up by it. Something clearly seemed odd about him, and Keith soon realized that something was wrapped around him. Coiled around him securing his arms at his sides; completely obstructing his ability to move._

 _"Shiro!!" Keith cried, taking a couple steps toward the image, as though it were a door to which he could enter to get to his friend._

 _"He needs you." Angeli said._

 _"He needs all of you." Atali told Lance._

 _"Just as you are connected in the physical realm..." Zara told Hunk._

 _"So must you, in the mindscapes of your inner being." Shiko finished, she and the other woman had delivered the same message; all of which commencing simultaneously, unbeknownst to them._

 _"Focus on your friend." They said. "Feel the bonds with us. Reach out to your fellow Paladins and their lions. Connect. Band together; so you that you might make it through... together. Remember that you are one unit... fighting with one goal." Each Paladin closed their eyes and focused as instructed, letting nothing, but the sound of the womens' voices guide them. Through the darkness of their closed eyes, they were suddenly able to feel their friends' presence; almost as thought they were thinking as one. All having the same mind... the same spirit... the same thoughts... Each Paladin summoned their bayards to their hands, their weapons slowly materializing in a very dramatic fashion. When they opened their eyes a burst of their respective colors ignited a bright light that drew them back toward the wall behind them. Each of them turned to face this wall, which now glowed with a portal-like energy. Each of them woman morphed down into lions, then leaped at their Paladins absorbing themselves into them. As this occurred the Paladins were then engulfed into it and they merged into spirit forms of the Voltron lions. Giving a mighty roar, the lions leapt into the white portal; which went dark as soon as they entered._

 _Keith somersaulted and landed into a his iconic one-legged kneel; standing up straight he, looked up. Pidge jumped through a wall opposite him to the right, landing in a composed kneel; her knees briefly touching to the ground with her hands. She, too, stood up right away, looking toward him. The rest of the Paladins soon joined; all exchanging glances and smiles with the others. Everyone then looked to where the circular wall opened up, and outside of it; a fair distance from them was a shocking sight._

 _"Shiro!!" Keith ran straight forward out the opening and into a vast meadow-like landscape, bathed in colors of many kinds and hues. Keith knelt by Shiro's side, and as soon as the Red Paladin placed a hand on his shoulder; Shiro looked up._

 _"Keith?" His eyes were hollow and clearly demonstrated how weak he was. The Black Paladin's head hung once more; becoming motionless once again, leaning limply against a misshapen structure behind him. A strange energy, wrapped in coils around his upper body tied him to this structure; much like ropes of some kind. Keith tried to grab the coils and pull them apart off of Shiro; but received a zap that sent shocks up his arm. The Paladins looked up and stood to face an all too familiar figure; all standing in a tense half-stance, glaring at the unwanted guest._

 _"Your leader is lost to you this day." Zarkon declared, his dark bayard sword drawn at his side._

 _"Not if we got anything to say about it, huah!" Keith lunged in a dead sprint toward the Galra Emporer, his own sword drawn. Covering the ground between them, he raised his blade and swung; letting loose a battle cry that could rattle the ground in which they stood. Their swords clanged together, igniting sparks between them._

 _"Pidge! See if you can free Shiro!" Keith cried tensely, gazing back at her, before Zarkon threw him back off his blade. Pidge knelt back down beside Shiro, and Hunk and Lance paced forward from where they were and drew their own weapons._

 _"We got you covered." Lance announced firing, as he continued walking forward toward Zarkon and Keith._

 _Pidge squatted next to the obstacle that Shiro was secured to, to inspect it. The rope-like strings glowed an off purplish hue, and had a pulsing glow about it._

 _"Since we can't pull it off of him; maybe we can cut it." Pidge hypothesized as Allura sank down across from her. Taking up her bayard, Pidge jacked it downwards at the roping; igniting a bright flash! All that remained was a small gash, and a bit of singeing smoke flowing up from it._

 _"It didn't even make a dent!" Allura cursed._

 _"Whatever this thing is, is seems to be sucking away Shiro's quintessence." Pidge realized. "But now I think I know how to stop it. But I'm gonna need some time."_

 _"How much time?" The princess wondered. Pidge placed the edge of her weapon against the coils, singeing it more._

 _"A lot." The Green Paladin returned. Allura rose once again._

 _"I'll go and assist the other Paladins in the meantime. We'll do what we can." She said. Pidge looked up at her and nodded determinedly._

 _Keith locked blades with Zarkon once more, their fiery glares blazing into the other's; branding their opponent's eyes with the grit that they channeled from the depths of their hearts, through their attacks. Lance screamed in heated rage, letting loose another round of fire at the Galra leader. Hunk serenaded Lance with blaster fire of his own. Keith released their hold, and rolled back away from him as the shots ambushed him. Being a skilled warrior, Zarkon activated his shield and blocked the blasts. Retracting it, he repositioned his hands in such a way as to materialize his club which he dragged along the ground, stirring up a blast that sent all three of them back towards Shiro. Zarkon then held the bayard with one hand toward them and it shifted again into a blaster of his own. The beam of high volume energy erupted from it in a split-second shot; Keith saw it, but couldn't pull himself up in time to stop it. Luckily a particle shield blocked it, and Allura grunted at the sudden jolt it gave her._

 _"Thanks Allura." Keith breathed, rising once more; followed by Lance and Hunk._

 _"Almost there." Pidge said, her tone sounding half distracted._

 _"We've gotta take out Zarkon..." Keith decided, finally. "For good!" Lance sprinted around til, he and Hunk were exactly opposite each other; Zarkon directly between them. Taking up their bayards once more, the began to pace around the invisible circle as they fired. Zarkon was beginning to loose control of himself, and took a few shots. Shifting his bayard, he swung his whip around causing everyone to withdraw in avoidance. As the whip came around though, Allura activated her bayard and caught the whip with her own. The two intertwining together; holding fast. Keith instinctively ducked under them and sprinted in with his sword to finish him off. Zarkon spotted this and shifted his bayard to clash swords with Keith yet again. Allura recovered from the sudden release, whipping it around her once. Taking a leap of faith, she then brought the whip down in a slicing motion. Zarkon looked up, as Keith ducked off to his left, and the whip nailed Galra leader right down the middle. Zarkon let out painful cry, as he slowly glowed purple and exploded. The Black Bayard dropped to the ground, morphing into its non-corrupted form and decimating from view._

 _The coils finally gave out with a 'snap!', and Shiro dropped loosely on his side. Pidge began to recover him as the other Paladins came to join them. The Black Paladin's eyes every slowly opened; his eyes now seeming a bit more bright. His energy seeming to begin to trickle back, much to their relief._

 _"Thank you." He breathed. Suddenly the ground jolted and a hole appeared above them, sucking them in like a black hole. As Keith was lifted off the ground, he noticed Shiro still lying on the ground where he was._

 _"Shiro!" He cried, extending a hand out to him; as if hoping it was stop him from being sucked out away from him. The hole closed behind them, and everything was dark..._

A capsule-like object floated down toward the surface of a lonely planet. It crashed through the trashy debris within its vicinity, knocking it only _slightly_ off course. When it hit the ground, though, the shield protecting its occupant shattered and dematerialized. The person in which had resided within it for all this time, landed on the ground with a thump. A barely audible grunt, forced its way from him upon impact. A single breath sounded, as his eyes began to slowly blink open; with another soft groan.

 **Whasup everybody!! This story is really progressing! And again there is much more yet to come. And I can't wait to see what you all think! So glad you've enjoyed it so far! Also I want to specify the reason why the Black Bayard did not disappear right away with Zarkon, is because Shiro still physically possesses it. And since this was a mindscape, he could not steal it back from Shiro. Also just so you guys know, the mindscape where this battle takes place is, in fact, Shiro's mind(though I'm sure you guys could figure that out;)). Anyway, til next time Voltron fans! Thx!!**


	8. Where’s Black?

Chapter eight: Where's Black?

Keith had just stepped out of the Black Lion, when the team arrived to meet him.

"So how do we know if it worked?" Lance asked.

"I'm not sure we _will_ until we find him." Allura sighed.

"Allura's right, so we better start looking." Keith agreed decisively. Suddenly, the Black Lion began to move. It stood up to roar and turned to look at the open hanger door. The Paladins shielded their faces and had to shift their weight tensely, to prevent from being knocked over as the jets activated and a swirling wind washed over them. The Black lion was suddenly gone and the light blue glow of its thrusters gave away its new location; which changed constantly as it got further and further away from the Castle.

"Where's the Black Lion's going?!" Allura gasped, everyone staring dumbfounded at what had just occurred.

 _XXXX_

Haggar stood watching over the Galra Leader, her stoic glance hiding her emotions, yet her mere presence could burn a man alive. Her heart blazed instead of her eyes, her tense fist only held tighter; yet, still, she wore no expression of emotion. A sound suddenly made her wonder if she was hearing things; or if indeed; Zarkon had managed a groan. Just then his brow tensed and an audible breath heaved his chest up and down once. Haggar's eyes narrowed, and she turned and left. She stood there as the doors slid aside.

"Zarkon nearly wakes." She said to the few soldiers that stood waiting. "Prepare the armor."

"Yes, high priestess." A druid, who had also been waiting, replied. He bowed slightly and left as instructed. Haggar then turned to look back into the room; but only for a moment, before dropping her eyes to the floor.

 _XXXX_

"Everyone get back to the lions we need to catch up with the Black Lion!" Keith called, racing towards the Red Lion's bay with Lance.

"And then what?" Allura asked, sitting down at the helm of the Blue Lion.

"Launch immediately; we can't lose sight of the Black Lion or we'll never find it." Keith replied, standing behind Lance's chair as they took off.

The lions launched from their hangers; blazing through space after the flickering glow of the Black Lion's thrusters, out ahead of them. Lance pushed the Red Lion faster after it, his determination rising the more he pressed on.

"We're not gonna make it!" Pidge screamed desperately. "We're losing it."

"There's no way we're gonna catch it with the head start it has on us!" Hunk complained.

"We've gotta stay on it. Keep trying!" Keith urged, his eyes glued to the screen; fixed on the Black Lion. Suddenly a round, white, portal-like anomaly swirled out and the Black Lion dove into it. "No!!" Keith cried, when and sudden jolt knocked him off his feet; followed by three more 'thunk's!' and a blinding flash across the screen. Keith groaned slightly, finding himself lying on the floor. Only his elbows had him propped up off the ground; since he'd landed flat on his back.

"You ok, Keith?" Lance asked, peering around the chair at him.

"*groan* Yeah." Keith replied, he began to sit up. "What was that?" He looked up at the screen. Lance straightened out to face the screen, his hands still on the handles.

"Is everyone alright?" The Blue Paladin called over the com.

"Ugh, I'm ok." Pidge's voice answered kinda flatly.

"Yeah me too!" Hunk responded thankfully.

"Allura? What's your status?" Lance called. "Allura?" He panned the Red Lion's head to the left, the screen showing the Yellow and Green lions doing the same. Blue, however, remained completely motionless and floating in a loose ball, it's right side facing them at an angle; eyes darkened and lifeless.

"Allura!!" Lance leapt from his chair and out of the cockpit.

"Lance wait! We need to stay with our lions!" Keith called after him, as he stood up again.

"Something's wrong with Allura!" Lance cried. "I've gotta go help her!"

"Hello guys, just got caught up." Coran said. "Did you catch up to the Black Lion?"

"No, the Black Lion's gone. And there something wrong with Allura." Keith reported. "Lance is checking it out now."

The doors slid away to reveal more darkness, no light seeming to reside here. And Lance soon found... _an empty seat?!_ Lance's eyes widened, his eyebrows furrowing together in a confused, shocked, and hurt sort of way.

"Lance? Lance! What's going on?!" Keith's voice cracked through the com link.

"It's Allura..." Lance trailed off hollowly. "She's... vanished." Pidge's gasp caught in her throat, everyone's eyes widening; becoming just as distressed as the Blue Paladin's.

Lance looked up when a glow from the helm caught his attention. The cockpit sprang to life once more, and the Blue Lion's mind was opened to him once again?! It growled in his ear, it's soothing purr encouraging him to sit down.

From the outside the Blue Lion's eyes came to life, yet the lion still floated just the same.

"Uh...what is happening?" Hunk asked, a bit nervous by this.

"I think the Blue Lion's taking me back?!" Lance realized.

"How is that possible?" Pidge questioned.

"I don't know, but it wants me to take the controls." The Blue Paladin shrugged, still standing a distance from the empty cockpit seat.

"Take it, Lance." Keith decided. "We've already lost Shiro, the Black Lion _and_ Allura. 'Least if someone's at the controls..we know we won't loose another one of us."

"Copy that." Lance agreed. "I'm on it."

"We need to find out what happened." Keith went on. "Maybe we can-.." His sentence was interrupted by another familiar roar and the glow of lights bursting across the screen; the view of the outside world pixelating into focus.

 _"Come!"_ A faint whisper urged.

"The Red Lion's back up and running." Keith reported, proceeding to assume his position in the pilot seat once again.

"What? How do you know?" Lance asked. The lion readjusted in the air, its eyes now flashing on as well.

"You're not the only one who got to reunite with an old friend." Keith replied, matter-of-factly.

"Great! Everyone's getting reacquainted, so now can someone tell us what the QUIZNAK just happened!!" Hunk exclaimed, panicking, only a little(actually a lot!).

"I'm not sure, but first we need to find out what hit us." Keith said. The lions all floated in a line all facing the same direction; the direction in which the Black lion had disappeared in.

"There's nothing out here." Lance observed. "It's just... space." Pidge eased her lion forward ever so slightly and hit something. All that resulted, though, was a ripple effect; like touching a calm pond's surface.

"It looks to be some sort of invisible forcefield." The Green Paladin guessed.

"Where do you think it goes?" Lance wondered aloud.

"And is there a way to get in there?" Hunk added.

"I think that bright light we saw, is what allows someone to gain access to whatever's on the other side of it." Pidge guessed.

"So it's, like, a chosen few. Got it." Lance determined flatly.

"*sigh* Yes, Lance, it's a chosen few type of situation." Pidge returned dryly. Keith just looked up into the abyss that masked the barrier curiously.

"Then... where did it take Allura?" He wondered.

 **Whasup everybody!! So this is a really short chapter(sorry about that!), but I think what comes next will make up for it. ;) As far as I know there isn't much news that I can discuss at this time. But I'm _always_ excited to hear your thoughts on what you read, and hear speculations on what is to come! Can't wait to see what ya'll think! Enjoy!! Thx!!!**


	9. Light In The Dark

Chapter nine: Light In The Dark

Allura's eyes slowly blinked open; her right cheek pressed to the cool floor of... stone? Her mind slowly began to trickle back to her, the fuzziness fading away and an emptiness replacing it. She heavily pushed herself up, a few loose strands from her eggshell hair hung from her face. Somehow, when she looked up, her helmet lay just a few yards from her; surprisingly not damaged. The dim light of her location obscured much detail, and seemed to have no source.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" Allura called out cautiously. _What is this place?_ She thought to herself _. How did I get here?_ She stood up to scan, what would be, the sky. "No sun, or moon." She said, dropping her gaze to the land. "No way to tell what time of day it is... unless.." She turned her attention to her gauntlet, bringing up the screen it fizzled out near immediately.

"Something must be preventing any sort of technology to work here." The alien princess guessed aloud. She looked up to find a small temple. It bore the shape of a lion's head above the entrance. The carving appeared to be pieced together in such a way, as to form a mouth looking like that of the Voltron symbol; from which its mighty roar would thunderously originate. Allura stood there staring at the structure before her. _And did she suddenly see the lion's stone eyes flash, or was she simply going mad?_ A rustling in the bushes called her attention to it, the Princess drew closer in a cautious and stealthy manner. She was startled by a head popping up. A horse-like head with big dark eyes and a cream colored blaze on its face stood before her. It showed no hostile behavior and seemed almost curious of her. Allura backed away slowly as it came forward to where she could see it completely. It had the body that seemed to be a mix between a lion and a horse. It's legs were quite long, but had giant paws like a lion's. Its dark, Almond-shaped eyes tracked her movements calmly; a sighing breath through its nose almost feeding a refreshing calmness into the air. Unable to help herself, her eyes fixed on the creature's. The lion-horse fluttered it's folded wings at its sides; these being much like an eagle or hawk's, only a light-goldish color like a lion's coat. As she stared into its eyes, she could help but be entranced by it. The dark welcoming Ora that reflected off them, seemed to speak to her in ways words would not. The creature's lion-like tail whipped about a couple times behind it, then it turned and look up at the temple. Allura followed its gaze, only looking down again when she heard a gentle purr. The lion looked back at her and paced forward. Allura tensed and held her breath, as the creature brushed against her gently; it walked over in front of her, then around. It purred again, nudging its nose under her right hand; which she withdrew upon coming into contact with its soft face. The lion's tail switched again, as its eyes peered up at her. And she realized in that moment what it wanted from her, finally understanding its unspoken request.

"You want me to go with you." She told it aloud. The creature's tail switched and it leaned down to sniffed her thigh calmly, then looking back up at her. The Princess's eyes widened; she was starting to understand this creature, and now knew what it wanted this time near immediately.

"Um, okay, if you want to." She told it nervously, as she pulled her leg over its back to climb on. It had crouched down a bit for her and as soon as she was securely on its back; looked up to the right toward the temple before heading on towards it.

 _XXXX_

"Augh!" Hunk cried, as he was sent backwards again. "Aw man, this field is a beast." He moaned, spinning off a bit. "Ugh, don't throw up, Hunk! Don't do it!!" He told himself, fighting the unpleasant urge passionately.

"I don't think our lions are strong enough to break through this." Pidge guessed. "That last blow really weakened the Yellow Lion."

"Then maybe we need to all do it at the same time." Keith thought aloud. "Maybe one lion isn't enough."

"It's worth a try." Lance sighed. "But if we continue this, we're gonna mess up the Lions if this keeps _not_ working."

"I know, but what else can we do." Keith returned simply. "We've lost too many teammates already. And we still need to find out where the Black Lion went and figure out how to get Shiro back."

"What if the Black Lion is looking for him?" Pidge suggested.

"What?" Keith returned curiously.

"What if that's the reason it took off?" The Green Paladin continued. "Maybe it knows where he is? Maybe it's going to get him and bring him back to us?"

"That-.. actually makes sense." Lance realized after a moment.

"Yeah, it kinda does." Keith agreed lightly.

"So what does that mean for us?" Hunk put in.

"Ideally, we'd be following it to Shiro." Keith stated. "But since it's already gotten away, we'll have to just keep our scanners peeled for it. Until we can somehow track it down. Until then though, we need to also try and figure out how to get Allura back."

"If we can." Lance mumbled to himself gravely.

 _XXXX_

The lion kept its cantering gait throughout the halls of the temple; lights coming on as they went. Allura gripped his mane, which waterfall both ways down its neck, as though they were reins on a horse's bridle. She squinted into the darkness ahead of her and tried to make anything out. The lion finally slowed to stop in front of a giant door that looked to be that of a throne room.

"Is this where you want me to be?" She asked it. The creature peered up at her quickly and snorted, switching its tail and shook its head and neck as if to say _'yes'_. The Princess slid down off the creature's back and approached the door. Putting her hand up, she had barely touched it when it began to open. She withdrew in shock, but when the door had completely open she calmed again. And then she peered into the darkness noticing a strangely familiar looking thing inside...

 _XXXX_

"It's been too long!" Lance groaned. "How long are we gonna wait here before we try something else?"

"There's not really much else we _can_ do, Lance." Pidge responded dryly. "Are options are limited."

"I have a feeling we just need to wait." Keith spoke up, his eyes finally opening. "I think something is happening;.. something we don't know about. And that, once it's over with, Allura will return. I'm not sure why or how, but-... I say we wait. Just a little longer." Lance looked from the screen of Keith's face to the invisible force-field in front of him.

"Ok." He half mumbled to himself.

 _XXXX_

Allura couldn't believe her eyes,... what stood before her.. she felt as though it were a dream. One she wasn't sure of whether it was joyous,.. or tragic. The shape was unmistakeable, yet her mind was believing it to be a fake. But when its eyes flashed on, its roar made it that much more real! The White Lion bent down to accept her; but the Altean princess simply stood there staring at it. It was almost as though she were in some sort of illusion, but couldn't break free from it. Her legs finally took over and walked her into the lion's mouth. Sitting down in the cockpit's chair, her eyes remained as wide as ever at what she was experiencing. The feeling of the chair beneath her mesmerized her,.. the shapes of the handles boldly becoming visible as the screen came to life before her. The hanger lights had finally come on and she realized how similar the White Lion was to the Blue Lion. She sighed thankfully, she had just gotten the hang of the Blue Lion's controls, and now it seems she had to learn how to operate _this_ Lion. _Was this her **new** lion? Or was it just an extra one they hadn't known about until now?_ She couldn't be sure. But yet now she was here, inside a _sixth_ Voltron Lion; and wondered even more how this was possible. Small paneling to her left shifted away to reveal a device which projected something that she could not believe was possible to ever see again.

 _XXXX_

An unfamiliar growl sounded, and the Paladins all searched for its origin.

"-uhh, what was that?" Lance asked, a bit nervous now. Suddenly the space near Keith began to glow, cracking as though someone were breaking a particle barrier. Keith had to jerked his lion forward when it finally burst into a solid white beam; causing them all to scatter. Even more surprising they could've sworn something came blasting through the beam; and, when it died down, realized that they were right.

"Is that.." Hunk trailed off, thoughtfully squinting to see it.

"..A lion?" Lance finished for him.

"Paladins. Are you alright?" The team was shocked to hear the Princess's voice.

"Allura!!" They gasped.

"You're ok?!" Lance cried.

"But how-.." Keith thought aloud.

"Where'd you get that lion?!" Pidge asked.

"Ho-ly crow, what?!" Hunk exclaimed.

"It's a long story." The Princess said. "But let's get to the castle and I'll explain."

 _XXXX_

"So the Red and Blue lions took you both back again?" Allura's eyes lit up in astonishment at this new fact.

"Yeah, right after we realized you were missing, I left Keith in the Red Lion to find you, when it connected with me and asked me to take its controls." Lance explained.

"And then Red took me back as well." Keith finished, his arms characteristically crossed across his chest. "But the Black Lion is gone. And we have no idea where it is or why it took off like that."

"It's like we said earlier though.." Pidge pointed out, gesturing with her pointer finger up. "It might have gone after Shiro; maybe it knows where he is."

"If that is the case we may not need to worry." Allura realized. "Because I'm sure once the Black Lion retrieves him. It'll return to the Castle; whether Shiro pilots it or not."

"We don't even know if he's alright, or what kind of shape he's in. Heck, we still don't even know where he is." Keith became increasingly distressed the more he spoke.

"Calm down, man." Lance told him. "We'll find him.

"As long as we keep on the same heading, we're bound to find him sooner or later." Coran guessed.

"We may not have a _later_." Keith shook his head. "Shiro could be in trouble right now, and we don't have any idea how to get to him."

"That's why we're heading along the path you took, to get from where you started to where we were when you called for backup." Lance reminded him. He placed a hand on Keith's shoulder. "Everything's gonna be fine." Keith lowered his head and shoulders, and heaved a sigh.

"This is all my fault." He said, silently cursing himself.

"It doesn't matter who's fault it is." Lance told him, placing his other hand hand firmly on his other shoulder. "Just as long as we make it right in the end. You know what Shiro has always been telling us. That _we're a team, we cover each other's mistakes_. And that's never gonna change; _with_ or with _out_ Shiro."

"Yeah, well, let's hope it stays _with_ Shiro, okay." Hunk put in, half joking. And the team couldn't resist a light chuckle amongst themselves, as emotional tears were being dried.

 **Hey guys! Finally got this chapter done!! So sorry for lagging behind on this one, but I kinda got a little stuck. But hopefully now, it'll be a little better. Can't wait to hear what you guys think of this new chapter, enjoy!! Thx!!!**


	10. Regrouping

Chapter ten: Regrouping

Everyone had gathered in the lounge to chill and hang out, while they proceeded along the invisible path in which they traveled.

"So what _did_ happen to you out there?" Lance asked turning to Allura, who sat across from him between Hunk and Pidge.

"I was brought to this wonderful place, believe it or not." The Princess began. "A mysterious, yet gentle, creature took me into this gorgeous temple with lion carvings of all kinds. It brought me to the White Lion's hanger. I still can't believe how wondrous it all was..."

 _"Father?!" She gasped, her breath nearly catching in her throat as she said this._

 _"Allura?!" Alfor breathed in astonishment. "My daughter! How I have missed your face! And you're here? You have found my final gift to you."_

 _"Final gift?" The Princess echoed._

 _"This lion was meant to be my gift to you, Allura." Alfor told her. "But unfortunately, I had not expected it to be my last... but now... you've found it.. And I am soo proud to know that my dear, sweet daughter has finally claimed a weapon of her own."_

 _"So.. this was... all meant for me... all along?" Allura almost could hardly comprehend the meaning of this._

 _"This lion was constructed from the remains of the volcanic ore of the comet, which became the Voltron we know today. And with this **sixth** lion, came a uniqueness to its design. At first I wasn't sure what to do with it. But somehow as I constructing it... it seemed to connect with me the way all the lions do. But this wasn't quite the same... it told me what to do,.. and what to build. It was like it knew its purpose, before I did. And that is why it was not recognized as the sixth lion of Voltron. It was meant to stay a surprise, that one day I would show it to you when you were ready... But now I see that you are indeed worthy, as you have come to find the lion on your own."_

 _"But Father I didn't." The princess sighed, pain and regret coming over her. "The Black Lion has runaway from the Castle and Shiro, it's Paladin, is still missing after our battle with Zarkon **and** after an ambush on Keith went awry... I'm not sure how we can even form Voltron anymore, without the Black Lion.. and it's Paladin."_

 _"Do not worry, daughter." Alfor soothed. "It will be alright. Do not give in to despair. Each of the lions are individual, but they all need each other to function as the Defender of the Universe. But what they also have in common is that they have a mystical understanding, that not even the ancient Alteans could understand; even id they were to study them for millions of years. Before I made my stand against Zarkon, I connected the lions to you, my daughter. And in doing so, I left a piece of myself within them. So that I may always be able to watch over you;.. and the future Paladins to come."_

 _"Be that as it may, we can't do it without them." Allura reasoned hopelessly._

 _"On the contrary, Allura." Alfor returned dynamically. "I believe you can.. And I will show you how..."_

"Woah! So King Alfor downloaded his memories into a _second_ AI chamber built in to the White Lion?" Pidge asked, gushing internally at the _'scientific elegance'_ as she often puts it.

"Precisely." The Princess confirmed. "And now with the White Lion on our side. we may be able to defend against the Galra; until we find Shiro and the Black Lion."

 _XXXX_

Doors the size of giants yelped, as they were forced to open. The only thing to appear on the other side of it was the high priestess of the Galra, herself. It wasn't until the doors had locked into place, that she strode into the room.

"It's it done?" Haggar asked in a firm, one-note tone.

"Nearly, high priestess." A Druid reported bowing respectfully. "Forgive me, mistress.." He said straightening up again. "..but what are your plans for Emperor Zarkon? Is he not going to recover and re-assume his throne?"

"What he is or isn't going to do is none of your concern." Haggar snapped. "All that is required of you is to do as you are instructed."

"Yes.. high priestess." The druid sighed returning to his work. With that, Haggar turned on her heel and floated back out of the door.

 _XXXX_

"I still can't figure out how you got there in one piece." Lance sighed, sipping from the cup of tea in his hand. Hunk wrapped up another fold of dough around its inner contents and turned around to head over to the stove; sticking the gooey pockets into it.

"Maybe she didn't fall." Keith thought, remaining pressed against the wall with his arms crossed loosely in front of him again. "Maybe she got there some other way."

"Like what? Just magically appeared there?" Lance questioned sarcastically; waving his hands in the air at the exaggeration.

"I don't know.- It's just a thought." Keith returned in frustration.

"Believe me, I'm as confused as you are." The Princess agreed taking a drink herself. "But however the case, I'm here now and we're all safe for the time being."

"-Most of us." Keith mumbled sadly. Allura shot him a sympathetic look, that he didn't seem to catch; as his eyes were still glued to the floor. They all fell silent, as they sat or stood around the counter, all with their heads down; each thinking their own thoughts and worries internally.

Minutes turned to hours as they sat there, Hunk had retrieved the food from the oven a while ago; and had placed the pockets in a bowl for everyone to take what they wanted to eat. No one spoke for fear of setting fire to the atmosphere that hung heavily over them, like a combustible gas that would spark at anything other than breathing. A piercing scream shattered the silence, however, in the form of an alarm!

"What's going?!" Lance asked urgently, as they all looked up.

"Are we under attack?!" Hunk cried, as they all scrambled for the bridge; bringing his food with him.

 _XXXX_

Allura and Coran were the first to burst into the room, and head to their control panels; tapping at all their screens to figure out the problem. A screen came up, and they were surprised to see the face of Kolivan appear across it.

"Kolivan? What is it? Is something wrong?" Keith asked immediately.

"No, not really." The leader of Blade of Marmora replied simply. "But I have some news for the Green Paladin.." Pidge acquired an odd look of confusion at this statement.. curious of his meaning.

"We have reason to believe that your brother, Matt; has been found." Kolivan stated, his eyes clearly on her. Pidge's eyebrows shot up at this, a glimmer of hope igniting in her light brown eyes.

"How do you know this?" Keith asked, urgently.

"An unidentified message was sent to us, with coordinates regarding Matt's alleged whereabouts." Kolivan replied. "But the origin of this message is unknown. There's no way to track it or discover the source of its sender. All we know is that Matt is supposed to be there, and that time is of the essence in retrieving him before he is moved again. No one knows who sent this message, but it is not within the ranks of the either Galra, or _any_ known rebel activists that we associate with. The signal showed up and died just as quickly as it had come. It's a good thing our systems document and save all messages that are received; no matter where they came from."

"But only the rebel fighters and Blade of Marmora know that..." Lance pointed out. "Who else would know that?" Keith thought for a moment, but was interrupted by Pidge's voice.

"Whoever it is must be trying to help us." She said. "Otherwise why would they send us this kind of information? We have to go check it out."

"I can send you the coordinates, but the location they'll lead you to is a treacherous one." Kolivan warned. "It is completely overcome with Galra, and is practically as dangerous as entering Zarkon's main ship. The coordinates lead to a planet called Zakron, and, in the Galra language, it means _'danger'_. You'll have to tread carefully when entering into such a stronghold."

"I'm going alone." Pidge decided, earning her gasps all around.

"What? No way?!" Lance cried, decidedly.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Paladin Pidge." Kolivan advised. "The base you will be headed to is highly fortified; if you go it alone, without backup, you will easily be overpowered and captured."

"I have cloaking." Pidge reminded them. "I'm the only one who can."

"Right, but it won't take long for them to overtake you should you get caught." Kolivan told her. "At least with a little back up, you will have at least someone covering your back while you find your brother."

"Kolivan has a point, Pidge." Allura agreed. "We need a plan to make sure this works." Everyone could see the Green Paladin restrain herself as she lowered her gaze; the look of pain crossing her face in a heartfelt cringe.

"Ok." She said softly.

 _XXXX_

Haggar stood over Zarkon once again, the twitch that she'd once seen may as well have been a dream. Because now, the fallen Galra Emperor was silent as could be. Not any inkling of resurgence emanating from him.

"High priestess, Haggar." A Galra commander knelt in a respectful salute as she exited Zarkon's chamber. "Pardon my questioning, but how long must we go on like this? Lotor is nowhere to be found and Lord Zarkon has not returned yet. And it seems Voltron has made moves against us taking back territory. How long are we going to wait before Voltron decides to take _more_ territory?"

"Your pardon will be noted, Pythineius." Haggar replied simply. "But only once... Lotor is still in charge of the Empire at Zarkon's request. And he will be relieved of such duties once Emperor Zarkon recovers. And as for Voltron... we will continue to search for them and capture the lions _and_ their Paladins;.. and await Zarkon's return... He desires the honor of destroying the Paladins himself. Now take leave of me!"

"Yes mistress, but what of Voltron _now_?" The commander began to pry. "Zarkon will not approve of returning to his empire in its poor, weakened state. There has to-augh!!" The commander hit the floor on all fours, grimacing through the seething pain that had so violently attacked his chest. Haggar simply stood over him, a blank look of her stoic expression hiding her inward thoughts; glaring down on him from her outstretched hand.

 _XXXX_

"Because the base is very well guarded, we'll need a distraction to keep the defenses occupied while we get our inside-.. man, inside." Lance devised thoughtfully.

"Yes, and we'll need our defenses to hold their attention until the target has been secured." Kolivan concurred.

"I'm the best one to go." Pidge insisted once more. "The cloaking on the Green Lion will suffice in getting me there. And if we try the cloaking plan again with Slav, we might be able to keep the cloaking up until I return. We have a better idea of what to do now, so we can do this. It's too risky for more than one of us to go."

"Pidge makes a valid point." Coran had to agreed, twirling his mustache thoughtfully.

"I don't think this is a good idea sending _you_ of all people in there." Allura remarked dubiously.

"Why? You don't think I can do it, just because it's my _brother_ we're rescuing?" Pidge questioned hurtfully.

"No! That's not it at all!" The Princess insisted immediately. "I'm worried because there are so many Galra in there and I fear you will be easily overpowered if you get caught."

"So I _won't_ get caught." Pidge returned quite matter-of-factly. Allura pursed her lips defiantly, but read Pidge glance and knew she wasn't going to give in. Finally she closed her eyes in frustration and lowered her head in defeat.

"Fine." She said, giving in with a heavy sigh.

 **Hey guys how is going!! This chapter was freaky fast! I gotta say even _I_ was was surprised at how quick it was to get it done. Chapter eleven is in the works, but I'm not sure when it'll finished, but I'll get it done as soon as I can. Til then, though, enjoy!! Thx!!**


	11. Game Plan

Chapter eleven: Game Plan

"The rest of us will occupy the Galra, while Pidge takes the Green Lion on a stealth mission; assisted by Slav." Kolivan reiterated, listing off the plan once more.

"Great, then let's go." Pidge finished.

"I'll have Slav at these coordinates for pick up." Kolivan said, as the coordinates appeared on a screen of their own. "This will be our rendezvous point."

"Pidge, are you sure that _you_ must be the one to rescue your brother?" Allura asked, one last time.

"Yes." Pidge replied firmly, instilling a strong sense of determination in just her tone. The Princess closed her eyes tightly for moment.

"Then let us begin." She said finally, looking up at them decidedly.

"I'll prepare a wormhole, but it'll take time for us to get there." Coran stated, tapping at his controls vigorously. "About fifteen doboshes I'd say."

"That should suffice." Allura replied. "I must brief my father on the situation."

"I'm coming with you." Pidge decided, rising from her chair. "I've been dying to check out the White Lion since you got back."

"I don't think you're the only one." Lance half joked.

"We can all go." The Princess offered. "It is quite extraordinary, I will admit." The team began to head that way as Coran called back over his shoulder.

"I'll keep working up here! We'll need to meet back here once we get close to the rendezvous point!"

 _XXXX_

Allura took her place and the screens lit up.

"Father? Are you there?" She asked.

"Yes, I'm here, daughter." King Alfor replied, as he materialized from the projection plate on the dash.

"Father, an operation has been devised to rescue one of our own. Our Green Paladin, Pidge's brother is _still_ being held prisoner by the Galra; and we are planning to rescue him. I need your advice."

"Your Lion _and_ your team will be all you need for this operation, Allura." Alfor told her. "This lion has powers you don't know of yet, and I will show them to you... Your abilities have done you well. I shall remain with you for the entirety of the mission, to guide you in any way I can."

"Thank you, Father." Allura breathed. Pidge eased in front of her to study the AI and the assorted controls around it. Allura withdrew due to this action.

"You must be Pidge." Alfor observed. "The one Allura spoke of."

"Uh- y..yes." Pidge blinked, as if surprised that he could see her.

"And you brother, I assume, is a member of Voltron as well?" Alfor wondered.

"No, he's just.. my brother. He and my father and Shiro were captured by the Galra a year or two ago, and we're trying to rescue him. Shiro's our leader.. pilot of the Black Lion."

"I see." Alfor mused.

"Shiro was the one I was telling you about, Father." Allura put in, nudging Pidge aside gently. "He's the one we're searching for right now. We think that the Black Lion is out looking for him, but.. we cannot be sure."

"In time.. the truth will be revealed, I'm sure." The Altean king remarked. "It is all a matter of time."

"Yes, but it is unfortunate that it is at a time like this." Allura sighed, dropping her gaze into her lap. "We could really use them for this operation."

"I know Allura." Alfor comforted. "But I believe that the universe has something in store for you that does not require the Head of Voltron. Though you might find him useful yet."

"Wait, does he know something we don't?" Lance asked a bit suspiciously.

"Aw, don't worry about it Lance." Hunk shrugged in a carefree manner. "I'm sure it's nothing to worry about."

"Quite." Allura agreed, peering around at them. "Whatever comes our way, I'm sure we can handle it."

"Even without Shiro?" Lance responded uncertainly. Allura's eyes hit the floor once more.

"Even without Shiro." She repeated sadly. She turned back around and laid back with a sigh, as Pidge continued to investigate the controls; and Lance and Hunk stood back behind them thoughtfully.

 _XXXX_

"Rendezvous point approaching." Coran reported, as they exited the wormhole. The team each sat in their respective chairs; Allura at the teludav where she usually stands.

"Land the Castle down there. "Allura instructed. "It's an earth, rock and gas planet. It should shield us from detection by the Galra." Hovering down over the jagged-edged, star-shaped planet a hatch on the ground opened; and, from it, two Blades emerged.

The Paladins launched their lions, and landed them on the ground; as the two warriors, accompanied by Slav, approached. The team came together to stand opposite their welcoming committee.

Their masks dematerialized and one was revealed to be Kolivan, the other another blade by the name of Borventhrock.

"How fortunate that you've made it undetected." Kolivan greeted lightly. "We've been noticing quite a number of patrols coming out this way."

"They don't suspect us, do they?" Allura asked, half afraid of this being true.

"Probably not." Kolivan replied simply. "Likely their just following protocol."

"Then let us begin." Allura decided.

"Righty-o, let's see if we can get this to wvork this time." Slav put in hopefully.

"Right, let's go." Pidge agreed, and the two geniuses headed off together.

"We have commandeered a hidden Galra cruiser and have decided to use this to our advantage." Kolivan told them. "We'll pretend to have captured you in order to get Pidge in close to save cloaking time. We have enough fighters and pilots for an accurate barricade, to convincingly keep you trapped; until we begin the distraction. Once the barricade goes down, Pidge can activate cloaking to sneak over to the base; and begin the search."

"Excellent work." Allura commented.

"And take this," Kolivan finished, holding a device out to her. "Pidge will need them." It looked to be a large USB. That was big enough to hold in the palm of his hand. "They're area codes and programs for getting inside." The Blade leader said, answering her unasked question, as she took it into her hand. "They'll help her to access certain parts of the base, and,.. strangely enough.. very specific ones."

"This will come in handy." Allura thought aloud, glancing at the device. "Thank you." She concluded, glancing up at him.

"Actually, it was us." Kolivan emphasized. "That strange message that gave us the coordinates had this information... whoever sent it must have know the exact location in which the target is located." Allura dropped her hand to her side, her eyes curious and tender.

"Hopefully one of these days we'll find them, so we can thank them; should the mission be successful." She said.

"Indeed." Kolivan agreed. "Now come,.. time is short." He said, switching gears with his shoulder turned to her. "We should be launching within the next two vargas."

"Certainly." Allura concurred.

"I'll take the device to Pidge." Lance offered, receiving the device from her. And with Lance off on his way, the rest of the team followed Kolivan for their last briefing before the mission.

 _XXXX_

"Hey Pidge, got something for ya." Lance called flatly, as he entered the Green Lion. Pidge turned toward him just in time to catch the device he tossed at her.

"What is it?" She asked, studying it carefully.

"Some access device that'll get you through the base to find your brother." Lance replied, briefly relaying the information he'd just heard.

"Great! I'll just get an socket adaptor and then.." she trailed off her statement when she noticed the familiar shape of the device's connection port.

"Something wrong?" Lance asked, catching on to her confused expression.

"The device's USB port..." Pidge observed. "It looks-.. familiar."

"Any idea how?" Lance wondered.

"Not... at the moment." Pidge sighed. "But at least I can plug it directly into my computer." Taking out her laptop, she stuck the device into the port and began to download the information it contained.

 _XXXX_

"I just realized that the Galra are not yet aware of the White Lion's existence." Allura realized.

"It doesn't matter." Kolivan returned simply. "In fact it could be an advantage on our part. Knowing that the Galra don't know anything about it, they won't be prepared to defend against it." The Altean Princess thought about this a moment.

"I suppose you're right." She said finally. Another Blade entered the room as the doors parted.

"It is time to begin." He said.

The Galra cruiser launched scrambling the fighters to surround the lions; the white one among them.

"Allura, activate the chameleon sequence." Alfor instructed.

"My lion can do that?" Allura wondered in surprise.

"This lion is as unique as the Altean race itself." Her father told her. "Therefore it possesses the same ability. I built it to be that way." Allura then turned to tap at a panel to her right and the White Lion became the Black Lion in the pixelated shift of particles.

"Woah, where did that come from?" Lance gasped, as they all witnessed the change.

"Long ago, I built the White Lion to be versatile. Meaning it could blend in or disguise itself." Alfor explained, somehow being heard by everyone on the com link system. "This is merely a holographic disguise, to conceal the White Lion's identity until the battle begins. It is best to take advantage of this element of surprise, while we possess it with this attack."

 _XXXX_

"We're getting close." Allura noted aloud.

"We have a visual on the base." Kolivan confirmed. He placed a mask over his face to hide his identity; which also acted as a vocal alteration device to disguise his voice along with the rest of him.

"Galra Base; Zakron." Kolivan addressed, over the open channel. "We have the Paladins of Voltron and are on route to deliver the lions _and_ their Paladins for transport to Galra Central Command. Requesting landing codes."

"Copy that, cruiser Thaitus." A robotic voice replied. "Landing codes granted." As if on cue, a screen popped up with the codes they'd asked for, and the Galra fighters, guarding the skies, parted; granting them access to the base below. The base itself was large and heavily ingrained into the earth of the planet; practically encased in its crust. The rugged terrain had clearly been disrupted by the construction of this base, then melded with it to retain the inconsistent continuity of the rest of the planet's surface. Kolivan closed the current line, and opened a new one.

"The trap is set, barricade lower in t-minus five ticks." He reported over the com. "Five,.. four,.. three,.. two,.. one,.. now!" The Galra fighters blasted at the surrounding ones and scattered allowing the lions to do the same. As soon as this happened the Green Lion seemed to vanish into thin air.

"Cloaking successful!" Slav reported. "And I think this is the reality wvhere wve are going to do it this time!"

"Good, cause we're almost to the base." Pidge replied, tilting back toward him, without looking away from the screen.

 _XXXX_

When the barricade went down and the battle ensued, Allura let the shield down to expose the White Lion for all to see.

"My weapons aren't operational." Allura told them. "All I have to work with, are my lasers and claws."

"Don't worry, Princess." Lance told her, weaving through the crowd of exploding fighters. "We got your back!"

 **Hey how's it going guys! So with the chapter Light In The Dark, I forgot to mention that the White Lion in this fic is the same exact one from my first fic; Call Of The White Lion, only in this AU fic. So just so you guys know, any features it had in Call Of The White Lion, it has here too; plus I've also added some things to it, for the purpose of this story(which you'll likely see later on;)).**

 **Anyway this chapter, however, was really fun because it leads up to some pretty cool stuff. I'm sure you all have questions as to what comes next, and I promise to make sure everything is explained. And _PLEASE,_ if I forget something; don't hesitate to ask questions or point it out!! **

**Hope you guys enjoy and I can't wait to hear you're thoughts on these next few chapters!! Thx!!! ;D**


	12. Never Judge A Cloak By It’s Color

Chapter twelve: Never Judge A Cloak By It's Color

The Green Lion magnetized to the wall of the base; its claws holding fast to the metal, keeping it suspended against the wall. Pidge made her way out of her Lion to the small hatch that had been indicated to her on the device from earlier.

 _XXXX_

The jagged teeth of the door slid open and allowed her to enter the building. Jetting in, the door closed behind her and gravity took hold of her; her feet landing softly on the floor. She activated her gauntlet for the map to appear on it.

"I'm in." She whispered.

"Great work, Pidge." Allura told her. "Now go find your brother. I'm not sure we can keep them occupied for long." Deactivating her com link, she looked up and to her right, and took off down the hallway.

 _XXXX_

Checking every direction before heading out around any corners, she soon ran into a door.

"Accessing area code." She breathed to herself tapping at the gauntlet screen. She then shot a beam into the lock and the door opened. Pidge crept inside and had to duck around one of the pillars sticking out of the wall, to hide from the Galra Patrol sentries. When their steps faded, she peeked around to find no one and snuck on, stealing another quick look at her map.

 _XXXX_

This went on for seemingly hours, when her scanner detected many biorhythms on the other side of the next door.

"Too many to sneak past." She mumbled aloud. Then she looked down to find a panel, hidden by the shadows. It was only revealed to her by the gentle glow of her gauntlet. Drawing her bayard, she pried it open and crawled inside. Once inside she look again at her map, and found a route to the next area code access point. Thankfully when she got there, the many biorhythms had diminished to almost none, and she could resurface from the hidden shafts. Zapping the lock, it brought her to the place that made her heart sing and her hair stand on end at the same time... the brig. As she walked along the corridor, the cold echo in the darkness seemed to comfort her; but only a little. She nervously checked her map, when she stopped to look up at the door that stood in front of her.

Pidge drew in a deep breath, half doubting that this was real, but wholeheartedly hoping it was. She scanned the lock, and time almost stood still as the door slid open; seemingly in slow motion. Light in the shape of the doorway cut into the dark room, a figure dressed in rags tensed and cowered in the corner. The staggering detail of their features somehow leaped out at her; even in the darkness. The brown-umberish hair that she wore on her head, mirrored that of the one that looked up at her. The fear in his eyes struck awe into hers, mostly because of the familiarity of them, and also because of the extent of pure terror in them.

"M-matt?" She managed to say, frozen where she was. The figure froze, their breath catching in their throat. Their eyes still staring at her in shock. He lifted his chin out from his arms which held his knees up, a small strip of darkened skin acting as a scar on his cheek.

"Pidge?" The prisoner slowly stood up where he was. The folds of his cloak dropping to where they were supposed to go. Pidge said nothing more... but her legs decided they had a mind of their own as they ran her over to embrace her brother as they both began to sob uncontrollably into each others clothes, in an attempt to muffle the sound so no one would hear.

"Oh my gosh!" Pidge cried, tears flooding down her cheeks. "Ever since the Kerberos Mission!.. They said you were dead.. but I knew in my heart that you weren't!"

"I can't believe you found me! It doesn't seem possible!" Matt breathed, releasing her to place his hands on her helmet where her cheeks were supposed to be.

"You didn't think I was lying, when I said I'd come looking for you; did you?" Pidge returned humorously. Matt chuckled.

"Well remind me to take you more seriously next time." He smiled. The two lightly chuckled together, as they wiped away they're tears.

"So how'd you get all the way out here, anyway?" Matt asked curiously.

"It's a long story." Pidge replied simply. "Is there any chance you've heard of Voltron?"

"Of course I've heard of Voltron, who around here hasn't?" Matt replied matter-of-factly.

"Well,.. I'm one of the Paladins." Pidge grinned, with a pleasureful smirk.

"No, no?! You're a Paladin of Voltron?! That's soo awesome!" Matt hugged his sister violently, swinging her around before setting her down again; and holding his shoulder gingerly.

"Shh, keep it down will you." Pidge deadpanned, trying to be serious despite the hilarity of her brother's reaction. "Now come on. We don't have much time to lose." She exited the cell to head back the way she'd come, Matt not hesitating to follow for even a second.

Pidge peered around the door post left and right.. nothing. Cautiously advancing out, she caught movement and shoved Matt back around the doorway to hide. Two Galra soldiers strode by on their patrol, conversing amongst themselves; not even noticing the open door from which the Holt siblings were hiding in. As their footsteps faded away down the hall, Pidge slowly peered out again, and darted across the hall, with Matt scrambling to keep up.

 _XXXX_

Kneeling next to yet another corner Pidge took a peek, then recoiled immediately pressing herself against the wall, with a gasp. The feet coming towards them was a ticking clock, egging her on to figure a way out before it went off; blowing their cover. The armed Galra soldier passed the hall, which turned out to be empty as he went right past it.

The ceiling was the first and _only_ place Pidge thought of on the fly. And using her jets she pulled herself and Matt up here to hide; spy-kid style. They dropped down, landing softly, and looked both ways before heading off on their way again.

 _XXXX_

"Okay, we're about halfway back to the Green Lion." Pidge told her brother, while checking the map again. "We just have to keep heading down this corridor, make a left away from the main control room, and then a right. That should take us straight back to the Green Lion."

"Sounds simple enough." Matt guessed as they walked out into the hallway, without looking. Suddenly the sound of blasters being synced on them made them freeze, as they looked up. "Uh-oh." They both stepped back as they sentries advanced forward. Turning around, more blasters appeared; pointed right at them. "Looks like we're caught." Matt commented.

"No kidding." Pidge replied drlyly. Suddenly the sentries to their left turned to look back at something, as one of them was blindsided by a hand to its face smashing it to the wall. A cloaked stranger slammed his forearms together, to materialize a weapon that encased them up to the elbow with a glowing purplish-pink blade. Swiftly dropping them to their sides like a ninja, they proceeded to take down the rest one by one. Pidge and Matt stood there in shock, _who was this person? And why do his moves look so familiar? And why did the color scheme of their weapon look familiar?_ The stranger took out the rest of the sentries, then attacked the ones on the other side. The stranger elbowed a sentry to the head and followed that with a slice that took out the sentry and three others next to it. One sentry took the cloaked figure from behind in a chokehold, which caused him to drop his weapon; making themweapon dematerialize for them to grab the sentry's arm. Suddenly, through his glove, the stranger's right hand began to glow and in an instant they reached over their shoulder and dragged the sentry over smashing it to the ground. The Holt siblings stood dumbfounded as the stranger pulled down the cloth mask over their face, exposing the characteristic scar across the bridge of his nose. And then pulled down the hood over his head to show off the iconic floof of white hair.

"We gotta get out of here!" Shiro told them urgently.

"Uh- eh- di- du-.. -Shiro?!" Pidge stammered.

"How?-"

"I'll explain later." Shiro told them, holding his left arm gingerly. "-But right now, we need to get back to the team." He began to leave and Pidge could immediately see the oddness of his gait as he moved. Shiro stopped as shadows appeared on the wall in front of them. He turned around quickly and ushered them back.

"Go, get back to the Green Lion." He told them, pulling the mask over his face. "I'll lead them away."

"But- Shiro!-" Pidge protested, as he pulled his hood up again.

"Go!" Shiro called, turning back toward them the wave them away. "Go!" He repeated as they took off running through the opposite hallway. Shiro glanced back at the sentries headed his way, and darted down the hallway to his left.

 _XXXX_

Pidge and Matt didn't even look back until they were sure they were alone again. The two pressed themselves the wall and slid to the floor, breaths coming in gasps.

"Did- did we- just see- what I thought- we saw?!" Pidge gasped, turning to her brother.

"Wa- was that really- Sh- Shiro?!" Matt cried. "-What's he doing here? And- why did he look- so different?"

"I don't know-.. I didn't even know we was even still alive until now." Pidge admitted.

"Oh.. wait- alive? Wha-" Matt's sentence was cut short by a hand to his mouth.

"Come on." The Green Paladin urged, swiftly taking him by the hand. They weaved through the defenses once again, checking every which way before entering into the open.

"Halt!" The two gasped, whipping around to find a horde of Galra sentries and soldiers chasing them now. Suddenly an alarm went off, screaming at the entire base.

"Intruder alert!" A robotic voice delcared over the speaker, announcing this to the whole base.

"Perfect." Pidge cursed under her breath.

"Run!" Matt shouted, grabbing her arm to run, sprinting down an empty corridor. Everywhere they looked was blocked. Continuing in any direction they could, their luck finally ran out as they discovered they were boxed in. Galra on all sides, even coming up behind them closing the gap on them. A Galra commander pushed his way through the parting sentries, gaining him access to the intruder and escapee.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" He said, in a slimy serpent-like tone. Pidge and Matt stood back to back, ready to fight if needed. But when a panel fell from the ceiling, they soon realized they didn't have to. The cloaked figure returned, landing awkwardly on the ground with a painful grunt.

"Stop!" Shiro stood up and removed his mask and hood to expose his identity; holding his hands up to the commander. Pidge and Matt, hidden behind him stared in awe of what they were witnessing.

"These too have come alone." Shiro told them. "Let them leave in peace and take me instead."

"What?!" Pidge cried in disbelief. "Shiro no! I-"

"Shh, trust me." Shiro whispered, back over his shoulder.

"I can already tell you're bluffing." The commander replied harshly. "There's already an attack going on out there. And you can't tell me that this one isn't one of the Paladins of Voltron." The Galra pointed to Pidge in saying this.

"I'm a Paladin of Voltron, too." Shiro told him. "One of more value to you than this one."

"How can you be sure?" The Galra demanded skeptically.

"I can only show you." Shiro told him simply. "But only if you let these two go." The Galra commander strode forward toward Shiro.

"Done." The Galra grabbed Shiro's left arm and jerked it around behind his back as pushed him down to his knees. The Black Paladin grimaced at the seething pain that erupted from it.

"Shiro!!" Pidge screamed, reaching a hand out to him to step toward him. Matt grabbed her arm quickly.

"Come on! Let's get out of here!!" He cried, pulling her back a few paces.

"Run!" Shiro told them. "Run as fast as you can, before- ah!" Shiro was bashed over the head with a blaster, leaving him flat on the floor.

"Let's go!!" Matt shouted, pulling her arm as he turned to run. The girl was finally knocked out of her dazed trance and ran away with him.

 _XXXX_

The Holt kids finally screeched around another corner and entered the hatch that lead to the Green Lion.

 **Hey what's up everybody!!! Can't wait to see what you think of this chapter!! This part was meant to be an alternate(and hopefully more exciting) version of finding Matt Holt in season three or four(I think;)). The episode Reunion was great, but I felt like it should've been a lot more dramatic to some degree. And the moment Pidge thought her brother was dead, was both amazing and heartbreaking at the same time! So this is just alternate version of how they _could've_ found Matt(though you may notice a few familiar lines from the episode. ;) Anyway though... I hope you enjoy! Not sure when the next chapter will be finished, but I'll try to finish it as soon as I can. Til then... enjoy!! Thx!!!**


	13. Change Of Plans

Chapter thirteen: Change Of Plans

"You're back!! Thank goodness!!" Slav cried, upon seeing them enter the cockpit. "Wve don't have a lot of powver left for the cloaking; wvhich means wve need to leave like right now! Or wve are doomed in this reality!!"

"We can't just leave Shiro here!" Pidge decided, turning to her brother.

"So what are you thinking?" Matt wondered, attempting to follow her train of thought. And Pidge thought for a moment, searching for a solution.

 _XXXX_

Lance grunted as his lion took a blast to the head, he gripped the handles tighter to avoid spinning out.

"Hurry up, Pidge." He mumbled to himself. And as if on cue, she responded.

"Green Lion, checking in!" She called.

"Yes!! Finally!" The Blue Paladin cried excitedly, as the Green Lion came into view; jetting up from the base in plain site. "Now let's get out of here!"

"No, we can't, Shiro's in there!" Pidge exclaimed in distress.

"What?!" The team gasped together; all having avoid attacks left and right.

"We can't." Pidge repeated, after leveling off her lion. "Shiro's inside the base. We can't leave him here."

"Are you sure?" Allura asked, making her disbelief and doubt quite clear.

"Yes." The Green Paladin confirmed intensely. "He's the reason we got out safely. He.. sacrificed himself for us so we could escape."

"How is that possible?!" Keith breathed, almost talking to himself.

"I don't know, but we've gotta do something!" Pidge cried. She grimaced as a shower of enemy fire rained down on her. Forcing herself to look up at her attackers, she managed to thrust her lion's head up to blast them with her lasers.

"Paladins, we're seeing movement from all four lions. Has the target been acquired?!" Kolivan called over the com, a rigidity to his tone.

"Yes, Matt has been rescued. But there's been a change of plans..." Allura called back, barrel rolling her lion through the wreckage of Galra fighters destroyed by her lasers. "It appears Shiro's alive and trapped inside the base. We must get to him, as soon as possible."

"We may not be able to right now." Kolivan returned worriedly. "We've already lost half our fleet. We may not be able to hold out long enough to retrieve him. Do you know his location?"

"Augh! Working on that now!" Pidge called, tapping at the screen to her right. This, however, was halted by a blast to her lion's side; throwing her off balance. "-I just need a few more minutes." She said recovering herself and resumed typing.

"We got you covered, Pidge!" Lance called. "Do what you can."

"The cloaking power has been restored." Slav mentioned. "Wvould that help?"

"That's perfect!" Matt said. "Pidge!"

"On it!" Pidge cried, reading her brother's mind and thrusting her lion forward. With this action, the lion blasted forward and disappeared with the cloaking.

"We need to land again." Matt thought aloud, searching the screen. "There! Land on the edge of the planet's spike overlooking the base." The Green Lion lowered down to the ground, and Pidge began typing again.

"Are you sure he was wearing his Paladin armor?" Matt asked, peering over her shoulder at what she was doing.

"Yes. He _had_ to be. He was still wearing it when we lost him." Pidge replied, half distracted by her work.

"Wait.. _Lost_ him?" Matt echoed. "How could you _lose_ Shiro?"

"It's a long story." Pidge replied simply. "I'll explain later." Now fully focused on what she was doing, she typed faster. "Come on, come on!" She mumbled to herself.

 _XXXX_

Knees painfully hit the floor, as Shiro was pushed down before another cloaked figure.

"Welcome Champion." Haggar greeted, with a sickening, and presumably sarcastic, amount of warmth. "You have finally returned, after a considerable amount of time.. But it matters not... your absence has only delayed my plans." She lifted her hand toward him. "And now it is time to begin.. again." A ball of yellowish energy grew in her hand to the size of a golf ball. Shiro could almost feel that energy reach out to him, as he tried to resist. Putting up an immense fight, he could feel the energy burning his eyes; drawing him in as they began to take on that same yellowish glow...

 _XXXX_

"There!" Pidge squeaked, as a blipping dot on her map popped up onto the screen. "I've locked on to his suit's unique signature! Allura! Fire just next to his location."

"Affirmative!" Allura responded. Suddenly the dot began to move at a rapid pace away from its original position.

"Wait! Do not fire!" Pidge cried, and the dot stopped again a short time later. "Now!!" Allura hit the laser immediately, upon hearing the command; blasting a hole into the base. At that moment, more cruisers and fighters arrived to assist.

"Uh.. If you're gonna get Shiro, now would be the time!" Lance cried, beginning an assault on the incoming ships. Pidge thrust her lion forward, diving its head into the newly created hole.

Shiro had just severely damaged another sentry when the Green Lion's Head poked through the hole.

"Shiro, let's go!" Pidge called over a speaker. Shiro looked up and began to head that way. A damaged sentry grabbed his ankle, knocking him off balance and he hit his head on the wall; hitting the floor afterwards. Matt leapt out of the Green Lion's open jaws and grabbed Shiro draping his arm over his shoulder.

"We're clear, Pidge!" Matt called after dragging Shiro into Green's mouth. "Let's get out of here!" The lion retracted out of the hole and took off for the skies once more. And as the Lions retreated, they pounded their way through the Galra barricade attempting to block them in; but let nothing deter them from escaping to the waiting Castle of Lions; who provided covering fire to aid in their escape. They finished the mission with one final shower of lasers and cannons and, then leaving via wormhole and hyperdrive.

 _XXXX_

The Green Lion's jaws parted, as it lowered its head. Pidge and Matt stood at the exit with Shiro's arms draped over their shoulders; both exhausted from all the excitement. They descended the ramp as soon as it went down, and laid Shiro on the floor, as the team arrived to join them. Now able to get a better look, they could see his features had been dulled by lack of sleep and, likely, unhealthy conditions.

"We need to get him to the medical bay." Keith said, standing over him with concern written all over his face.

 _XXXX_

His breaths pierced his lungs, a heavy throb drumming on his head to a steady beat; which he realized was his own heartbeat. Shiro began to force his eyes open, the gentle light above him stung his pupils harshly; as he remembered how much he hurt. And in case he _had_ forgotten, any attempt to move nipped and screamed for him to stop. He shifted his upper body ever so slightly and felt a delicate tension on his chest; likely due to the sensors they'd placed on him.

"Dim the lights." The muffled voice of Keith said, as he looked toward someone to his left. Shiro's blurred vision watched, as the person in which the Red Paladin spoke turned away from him where they were. The lights faded a bit more, as Keith leaned in closer to where he could clearly see him; his vision finally clearing completely.

"Shiro?" His voice was calm and tender; but Shiro knew he was panicking inside.

"You found me." The Black Paladin breathed, with a weak smile surfacing across his face. Keith couldn't hide a slight smile of his own, even despite the panic in his heart; which was somewhat put at ease by this reaction.

"We just got you to the infirmary." Keith told him gently. "We're gonna take care of you now. Okay."

"Okay." Shiro croaked, after clearing his throat dryly. They had begun to remove Shiro's cloak, when Pidge suddenly stopped to stare at something.

"What is it, Pidge." Keith asked as he and the rest of the team drew closer;... but what they saw was both shocking and heartbreaking! Underneath the plain ragged clothing, was, in fact, wearing his armor, though the left side of it was completely torched in a fan-like shape extending from Shiro's hip to his chest. The wounded was clearly festering and had been bleeding quite profusely; and they could even see bits of hand prints from where it had been touched.

"What happened to you?" Lance breathed. The painful sight nearly brought them all to tears. Pidge cut off the cloak from a single point along his clavicle, up toward his face; and spread it down out of their way. Then, with assistance from Keith, turned him onto his side. In doing so, she noticed that the burn extended down his back as well. Like some kind of explosion occurred, leaving its mark across his body from the left side; taking with it the flesh on his body. The burns appeared to be at different stages of healing in some parts, and evidence of swelling and irritation displayed itself quite clearly. As you could imagine the act of movement brought a considerable amount of pain, and remained so; as they laid him flat again.

"There's so much infection here." Pidge stated, looking up at Keith.

"What do we do about it?" He asked.

"We take it one step at a time." Matt's voice suddenly stole their attention, and they all looked to see him leaning against the door post behind them.

"Matt, you should be resting." Pidge told him flatly, as she continued to assess Shiro. "We got this."

"I'm not gonna rest until I know Shiro's ok." Matt insisted, walking, hunched over toward, them. "He's more than just a Legend, you know." He followed up simply. "He's... like family."

"I know what you mean." Keith agreed, turning from him to Shiro as he spoke.

"Well you won't be much help to him, if you don't rest yourself." Pidge replied dryly still focused more on Shiro, than her brother.

 **Hey guys here's the next chapter! Can't wait to hear your thoughts on it and I'll see you next time! Thx!!!**


	14. Marks Of The Unknown

Chapter fourteen: Marks of the Unknown

Shiro's eyes remained about half open, the pulsations from the screen remaining as calm as he was. He drew in another audible breath and shifted his head to the other side, away from them.

"How did he get so hurt?" Lance asked openly, crossing his arms loosely in front of him.

"Better question is, where has he been?" Allura corrected grimly.

"Well whatever the case, we have to help him." Pidge decided, unable to take her eyes off him. "Before the infection gets any worse."

"I was.. on a dying planet." Shiro's voice was so low and raspy, it was barely recognizable at all. The team was shocked just to hear it; let alone see his hollow eyes looking back at them now. "The Galra sucked away all its quintessence... *clearing throat* ...they must have detected the pod I had been in and hunted me down several times. I managed to escape but-..."

"Don't try to explain right now." Keith encouraged, drawing closer as he trailed off. "Let's get you stabilized first, okay." Shiro drew in a deep breath and relaxed his tense body once more. The dullness of his expression revealing how tired and uncomfortable he truly was.

"So how _do_ we handle this?" Lance asked.

"I don't know, that's why I'm asking." Pidge returned in frustration. "I don't think any sort of plan reliever will be enough to ease the pain while we clean that."

"Then why not just put him in a pod?" Lance put in, his arms still gently crossed.

"Because the safest option would be to clean the wound and treat the infection, so that the pod can activate his body's own ability to heal." Allura explained simply.

"What if we knock him out again for a bit?" Pidge suggested.

"Are you kidding?! No way!" Keith refused, getting in her face. "Do you have any idea what that'll do to him? Every time that has happened he ends up forgetting things that are important."

"What other choice do we have?" Pidge questioned, holding her hands up in the air; wearing an exasperated glare.

"If we put him under... we may never find out what happened to him while he was out there by himself." Keith reiterated firmly. "We need to try something else.

"As much as I hate to admit it..." Allura trailed off unfortunately. "But I agree with Pidge. Shiro has suffered enough."

"Not a chance." Keith refused strongly.

"If we do this, it'll be quick, and Shiro won't feel a thing." Pidge insisted stubbornly.

"But we might not get any answers." Keith protested further.

"Look, do you want him to live or would rather let him die in pain?" Pidge shot back harshly. Keith and Pidge glared into one another's eyes, challenging them relentlessly.

"Come on, guys. We can just sit here and argue about this." Hunk stepped in, trying to bring the team back into perspective. "Shiro needs help and we need to give it to him soon; regardless of _how_ we do it."

"Fine." Keith gave in angrily, turning away from them. "Just get it over with." He leaned his palms onto the table, as he lowered his head toward Shiro lying there. After a moment Pidge stepped forward to Shiro's upper half, nudging Keith's elbow aside; and he stepped down out of her way. Shiro grabbed his forearm before he could fully step out of his reach.

"Keith.." He trailed breathlessly, as Pidge began to set a mask over his face. "Patience... p-patience yields.. y.. yields.. f-.. focus..." he had just barely finished this statement before he fully went under. His grip loosened all the while, as it slid down away from his arm; then went completely limp. The team watched as his strained breaths slowed to barely audible, calm, and steady ones.

 _XXXX_

Allura tweezed the thin sheets of material from the bowl of liquid, and placed it over the exposed wound. They had positioned Shiro on his right side to gain full access to it, in order to treat it.

"This is an old Altean technique that can improve healing for injuries such at this." The Princess told them. "The solution that these cloths are submerged in, possess a healing power only a few Alteans could make. I'd watched my father do it once before..." She looked up from her work to them. "And he showed me how to do it. It probably hasn't been used in over ten-thousand years; but I hope it's still just as effective. And once he's in the pod he should be alright." Smoothing out the last piece, they wrapped it up in dry cloth and secured it in place. "We need to get him into the pod right now." The princess decided finally, Pidge delivered the reversing agent for the anesthesia. The. Keith and Lance worked together to haul Shiro into the pod; stepping back to watch the shield go up around him. "We can assess the rest of his injuries later once he's had a few vargas in here." Allura finished with a sigh, her blue eyes watching his still face.

"It's ok, Allura." Keith told her, looking from the Princess to Shiro. "We'll deal with it when we can."

 _XXXX_

Barely any light defined the room, but an obvious lump on the steps remained there. His jet-black locks covered his face, due to a solemnly lowered head. All the Red Paladin could think about was the moment his fingers gave out. The moment the pod sank away from view.. The moment he lost his best friend once again... and all he felt about it was grief. Almost like he'd _actually_ lost him. Keith could imagine Shiro being all alone in the dangerous world, which they all lived to risk their lives for. The tearing feeling in his chest nagged at him, as though his heart would leap out of his chest; if he'd let it. He felt sick to his stomach at the thought of Shiro dying. And couldn't help but glance up over his shoulder to the pod, silently humming behind him; as if to check if he was still alive inside it. Resuming his earlier position(elbows braced to his knees; hucnching over them), he sighed and relaxed into it more; lowering his head a bit further. All he could think about, was the various failures that seemed to be boldly stamped across his forehead; or rather, knit into his clothing. Like a cloak of shame, he could never take off. And even with all the self-pity and guilt that weighed down on him; he could still imagine Shiro coming to him and saying that is wasn't his fault. And encouraging him to keep trying. _Patience Yields Focus_.. he thought; almost able to hear Shiro's voice saying it in his head. He acquired the urge to look back again, but resisted this time; for fear of jinxing the situation into taking a turn for the worst. It seemed, to him, that anytime things were good; they would always go wrong somehow. Like everything he liked, enjoyed, or cared about could never be endulged in for very long; because of some bout of unluckiness that seemed to have raided his whole life and robbed him of those good things. It seemed to be only a twist of fate, that he ever received anything good. But would again be taken away; as if he were being punished for a crime he didn't know he'd committed. Anger and frustration ran through his blood like water; boiling through him as fast as the speed of light; or faster if that was possible. He held his hands together loosely, but the more anger he felt, the harder they clenched into fists. Sweat from the pressure of waiting poured down his face, dripping off his nose; and even off his chin, he was so nervous. Each minute that passed seemed to become longer and longer; a larger and larger slice of eternity. He feared he'd crack under the pressure, the longer he remained under it; and he desperately begged for it to cease.

"Keith? ...arree you ok?" Keith looked up quickly toward Pidge's soft voice. She cautiously left the door post to enter the room, as the other Paladins peeked in to join them.

"Yeah.. I guess so." Keith sighed, letting his guard down to drop his gaze to the floor with his shoulders; shifting his elbow back to his knee.

"He's gonna be ok, ya know." Lance encouraged gently after they stopped to stand before him. "He'll just have a lot of recovering to do once he gets out of there." He finished, as they all looked up at Shiro for a moment.

"I know." Keith sighed, resuming his position.

"We'll get to the bottom of this." Allura assured him, stepping forward determinedly. "Shiro must have answers for us. We'll just have to remain hopeful of that, until he is well enough to tell us."

"Yeah, I know." Keith said, almost numb to their words. The short silence amongst them was interrupted by a red light beyond them and an alarm sounding. Keith whipped around immediately. Shiro groaned and doubled over as best he could, inside the pod. The red light replacing the normal light blue.

"Shiro!!" Keith scrambled up quickly for the pod.

"Keith wait!!.." Allura cried, but Keith had already placed his palm to the pod; opening it. Shiro fell forward out of it and Keith was there to catch him. The Black Paladin seemed to stir, but his legs could not support him; and Keith carefully lowered them down to their knees. Keith could feel Shiro's grip on him the moment he touched him. His right arm latched onto Keith's elbow, and he seemed to brace his left shoulder against him; his left hand shakily grabbing his shoulder, wrapping up around his back to it. And when they were down on the floor, Shiro simply lay limp against him; his left hand dropping to his side. Shiro grimaced and opened his eyes, realizing, now, whose chest his forehead was pressed against. He shifted his head up to lean on his shoulder to see Keith's face.

"Thank you." He breathed, with grateful, distant eyes.

 **Hi guys!! Been a little while since I added to this story, but this chapter and the next one will be well worth it I hope!! I'll post chapter fifteen in a couple days or so. And hopefully I'll finish chapter sixteen soon so you can read that as well. The creativity was substantially high for these next few chapters and I'm sooooo proud of them!!!!!!! Can't wait to hear your thoughts on them. Thx!!!**


	15. The Journey

Chapter fifteen: The Journey

Shiro lightly grimaced as he was set into his chair. Keith took his leg and gently repositioned it to a more comfortable looking position.

"Thank you." Shiro breathed, clearing his throat dryly.

"Happy to help." Keith told him tenderly; a slight smile on his face. Pidge scanned Shiro's leg with her gauntlet and studied the screen that popped up from it.

"I'm not seeing any broken bones, but something is clearly wrong." She said, after a couple minutes of silence. She then scanned up his body to his chest. "But I am seeing some broken ribs." She followed up, as her screen zeroed in on several points in Shiro's chest. "The good news is, that the time he spent _inside_ the pod has started to fuse them back into place. So we should only need to stabilize them, so they can continue to heal that way."

"Great, we can easily take care of that... Then we can assess and..." She turned his forearm up to show the patch of red, seeping through the white material of the healing suit. "Care for all his _other_ injuries."

 _XXXX_

The oozing, red wound on his forearm became white, as the wraps masked it from view; concealing its identity. Coran shown a pen light into Shiro's left eye, then the right.

"Well you look good from where I'm standing." The Altean man said, stepping back again. Pidge finished wrapping Shiro's lower leg and placed an ice pack on his left ankle; before standing up herself. Allura retrieved the thermometer and studied it carefully.

"And you don't have a fever." She lowered it to her side to look at him. "..yet."

"Good.. that's good." He attempted to lean forward but the stabbing, needle points forced him to stop immediately.

"Shiro! Wait.." Keith urged coming closer. "You're gonna need time to recover. Just relax." Shiro leaned his head back and blinked slowly. Pidge stepped forward to study Shiro's right arm, no apparent damage seemed to jump out at her; but the scuff marks on it _did_ bug her a bit. She left momentarily, to return with a small rag; which she used to carefully buff the marks off of its metallic surface.

"So like... what happened with the pod thing?" Lance asked, finally bringing to light the odd incident of earlier.

"Could be a malfunction." Allura guessed, in sort of a matter-of-fact way. "The castle is ten thousand years old and we've been fighting pretty harsh battles lately."

"I don't know.." Keith mused, looking at Shiro with crossed arms and a suspicious face. "Something doesn't seem to be adding up." The team fell silent to think for a moment, all brainstorming explanations that all seemed to be dead ends.

"Pidge." Shiro's voice was just as low and tired as it had been this entire time; but there seemed to be a purpose to it. "Did you hold onto that device? The one with the access codes for the base we rescued Matt from?"

"How do you know about that?" Pidge asked in surprise.

"Who do you think sent them for the Blade of Marmora to deliver to you to help you get to him?" Shiro responded matter-of-factly. Pidge's eyes lit up.

"Wait... _you_ sent that?!" Shiro's eyes gave away the answer.

"So you were the one who found Matt; and used the coordinates to help _us_ find him." Keith realized.

"That's why you were at that base." Allura gasped. "You found Matt and knew how to help us get there."

"I downloaded what information I could from the database." Shiro told them weakly. "I found the drive and a Galra drone and used them to send the message. And I made sure to let the Blades know exactly what drive to use, by sending a capsule with the drive in it. I knew it had to be this particular one, for it to be compatible with Pidge's computer. So I sent it to them, to give to you; so you could access the information on it, in the least amount of time. Looks like you did exactly what I thought you'd do."

"Wow, that's incredible." Lance commented.

"But how did you end up there? And how long were you there?" Keith asked, his concern clearly shown as alarm by his wide eyes.

"I'm not sure how long it was. But I've been all over.." Shiro began simply...

 _Shiro's eyes slowly blinked open, a low groan emanating from him, as he finally came around. Pushing himself up, he could almost feel the object over top of him; and lifted a hand to it as he began to stand. Rolling the capsule aside, he groaned again and held his left arm tenderly; looking up to study the darkness around him. Nothing but shapes and shadows defined the area; and to his astonishment the detail was quite vivid, despite the lack of light. The silence was deafening, almost fooling him into thinking he, himself, had gone deaf. But as he strode forward, he realized he could hear his own footsteps after all. His whole body ached yet he continued just the same. Climbing the ridge, he came across a strangely set display that must have been that of a village. There were small houses nestled under the generic-looking trees. Their thatched roofs and clay-brick walls made for a rather simple build. Small fences, held up by splintery posts in a zig-zag pattern, encircled these homes and likely marked the property lines for each plot. There were no more than a dozen or two, and there seemed to be no pattern of how they were organized throughout the space in which they occupied. The kitchen was presumably outside due to the cauldrons hung over small piles of wood; and their fuel supply lining the side of the huts. The dirt path split off and branched out to each of these plots, leading him along narrow clay roads. Walking on through it the shadows seemed to come alive; like night creatures coming out to play, encouraging him to keep his guard up. As he walked, his steps became slower and more cautious; his body tense and ready despite still feeling a considerable amount of pain from the battle from before. When no one came out from the huts, he simply followed the path away from the little village and on up the ridge. Making his way to the top, he could barely see lights from on top of the rocky hill, which seemed more likely to be a mountain. As he heaved himself up to the top, he managed to reach what looked like an old temple from Greek mythology. The long skinny columns upheld the similarly shaped roof, and the windows were simply open gaps in the age-old walls. The gentle glow of light, and the sound of a party of some kind, floated through the air to his ears; grabbing his interest rather quickly. Shiro half wondered if he should enter to check it out, and another reminded him that he had to get back to the team. That part of him thought maybe whoever was inside that temple could help him; and ultimately curiosity finally overtook him... so he entered._

 _XXXX_

 _Creeping toward the draped entrance, he slowly pushed it aside with the back of his hand, but only enough to peek in. And what he saw shocked him beyond belief._

 _Small aliens, looking like a cross between the Arusians and the Balmarns, cowered in the center of the room surrounded by Galra sentries and soldiers. Their commander, however, was the one he was most shocked to see..._

 _"Sendak?!" Shiro gasped._

 _"Take them to the ship's brig; grow them in win the rest of the prisoners." Sendak ordered him lieutenant. "We'll deal with them later. And continue the search for anyone who may have escaped. We need to have plenty of dirt to take back to Emperor Zarkon to use against the Paladins, and finally take back Voltron; getting him on our side once again."_

 _"What?" Shiro stepped forward and knocked something over with his foot. The crash made Sendak and his men look up, Shiro stared like a deer in headlights at being caught._

 _"You!!" Sendak thundered charging after him. Shiro snapped out of it and tore back the way he'd come. Sendak stopped at the top of the temple's steps searching and finding the white-armored figure racing away down the hill. "After him!!!" He thundered. Shiro glanced back to see figures pursuing him, but adopted a determined look and ran faster. Cutting through a thicket, opposite the direction from which he'd originally come, he ducked under the sharp brambles. Unable to see where he was going, he hit a thin wall of these thorns and tumbled down the slope on the other side. Recovering himself, he stood up to pull the prickly vines off of him. Hearing blasters sync on him, he looked up to see them and ran once more. Turning his left side to them for only a second, a beam of light shot at him nailing him at hip and torso level across his body. Hitting the floor he immediately began to rise; only making it to his knees and hands. He looked down towards the origin of the searing pain in his side, to find the giant, gaping wound burnt onto his body. Hearing scuffling behind him, he forced himself up and ran as fast as he could manage; holding his side with his right hand. The wound felt like his skin was on fire, eating away at him from the outside in. And he could feel his hand getting wet, likely from his own blood; no doubt he was probably bleeding quite heavily. Coming up over the ridge, he found the purplish glow of cruisers parked in the small valley below the village where he started. Surfing his way down the flat, sandy slope; he fell to one knee and took off for the cruisers, diving into the first one. The thundering feet ran past and disappeared; and he headed on into the cruiser. Weaving through the halls of the ship, he made his way to the brig. His Galra hand, quite literally, came in **handy** for opening the keypads._

 _"Don't be afraid. I'm here to help you." Shiro assured them calmly. "Hurry, overcome the guards and help me get to the bridge. We need to get these ships airborne, we're gonna commandeer these ships to escape with them." Bashing and crashing their way to the bridge, Shiro led them inside and bolted the door closed. Approaching the main panel, he pressed his Galra hand to it light it up with several more screens. A small drive lay next to him within reach, and he took and plugged it into the inner side of the joint of his right elbow._

 _"Take this drive and use it on the ship. It's a kill virus for the sentries but it won't harm the ship." He said, unplugging the drive from his arm and handing it to one of the aliens. "Once you've disabled them, take off immediately. And put up your particle barrier up, so no one can get to you."_

 _"Of course." Said the alien with the drive. "Thank you, stranger."_

 _"My name is Shiro. I'm a Paladin of Voltron. And if you ever need us; use this transponder. Its only on I have for now, but as long as you stay together you should be fine. The transponder also has locations to safe zones, where you can get in touch with other members of the Voltron Coalition. Please, if you're ever asked how you escaped; don't tell them who sent you. I need to keep a low profile if I'm going to be able to help anyone else in trouble."_

 _"We will. Thank you, Paladin Shiro." The alien replied. Shiro gave them a nod and took off out the door. Each one was harder than the next, but he managed to infiltrate the ships and free all the prisoners. Getting to the last one, the sentries pounded on the doors to get in. Shiro tapped on the screen as quickly as he could manage with his left hand, and then jammed drive into his arm to give them the virus._

 _"Take this drive. It'll help you knock out those sentries without damaging the ship's other systems. If you can get me to the temple at the top of the mountain, I can distract the Galra long enough for you to rescue those people. Have a pod ready; cause we're gonna get them off of this planet; and free it's people once again."_

 _"We're ready to help in any way we can." An Olkari prisoner said._

 _"Good. Then let's get started." Shiro said._

 _XXXX_

 _Sendak tapped a button on the device in his hand._

 _"What is it commander Sendak!" Haggar's shadowed figure demanded coldly._

 _"I believe I have some information that'll be of use to you." Sendak told her slyly, a smug grin on his face._

 _"You better hope for your sake that it is worth it." Haggar snarled. "Things are not exactly in order here, while Lotor remains amiss."_

 _"Oh I believe it'll be **well** worth it..."_

 **Hey guys!!! What up?! B) This story just keeps getting better and better!! I can't wait to see how this one goes down!!! Still got lots of plans for this one, so hopefully this story will be the first to surpass twenty chapters... but we shall see.**

 **Also you may notice that title of this chapter is a reference to the actual show(episode five of season three), but I hope it doesn't reveal too much. Guess I'll have to wait and see. Til then.. enjoy!! Thx!!!**


	16. The Trail That Led Me To You

**~warning: mentions of blood!~**

Chapter sixteen: The Trail That Led Me To You

 _"We're getting close." Shiro said, studying the screen before them carefully. "Drop me down there."_

 _"Affirmative." Another alien responded, tapping away at the panel in front of them._

 _XXXX_

 _The hatch opened and Shiro jettisoned out and down into the trees just below the temple. As he was falling, he looked to his left to find one of the masked aliens free falling right beside him._

 _"What are you doing?!" Shiro asked her in surprise._

 _"I'm coming with you." She replied, turning to him simply. They adjusted their position for landing and hit the ground running. Shiro's side flared up in scorching hot and excruciating pain and he stumbled to his knees; grimacing hard and with his forehead to the ground._

 _"You shouldn't have come on this mission." The alien told him, doubling back to help him up. "You're far too injured to do this."_

 _"There's.. no one else here who.. can take them on." Shiro breathed, stiffly walking with her as she pulled his arm over her shoulder._

 _"That's where you're wrong." She told him, glancing him the at the path ahead. "You aren't the only one." She went on, watching the path in front of them; then turned her head to him again. "My name is Te-Osh... and I'm a freedom-fighting agent for an underground resistance organization we call the Rebels."_

 _"Huh,.. well, at least we know we're not the only ones." Shiro said. "Me and my team were told we were the only hope for the universe. But we're only, now, finding out that we're not alone in this fight after all."_

 _" **You** haven't been for decaphoebs." Te-Osh replied. "If anything we thought **we** were the only ones. Until word spread of Voltron's return;.. when you and your friends became the Paladins of the five mighty lions."_

 _"Well,.. then I guess we were **both** wrong." Shiro said._

 _"Indeed..." Te-Osh agreed. "But we were also right as well. We_ _ **were**_ _alone... but now we're not."_

 _"And let's see to it that it stays that way." The Black Paladin agreed. Shiro stumbled and grimaced again, grabbing his side with his right hand; also finding it a bit hard to breath in the moment._

 _"We need to get you out of here." Te-Osh told him, as she helped him up again. "There's no way you can manage to take down the Galra in your condition."_

 _"I have to." Shiro returned determinedly, restraint in his voice from the pain he was currently enduring._

 _"No, I'll do it." Te-Osh insisted. "You go free those people. You won't have as many Galra to overcome that way." The two stared at one another for a moment._

 _"Alright." Shiro finally gave in. Te-Osh helped Shiro to the temple and they found a quiet place for them to split off._

 _"Be careful." Shiro told her, as she began to leave; keeping his right hand braced to the pillar columns for support._

 _"And to you." Te-Osh replied, stopping to glance back at him before disappearing into the heavily draped hall. Shiro peered through the giant curtains into the main court room and waited for the distraction to begin._

 _XXXX_

 _Cuffs synced, feet scuffled... Lines of aliens marched for the exit. Te-Osh held herself against the wall and peered around the corner from the corner of her eye; then stepped out to blast a line of the sentries above the enslaved aliens. Other sentries returned fire and Te-Osh took off out the door, Sendak and most of the men accompanying him chased after her. Seeing this, Shiro crept out from where he was, silent as he could be. A sentry stood watch with its blaster held up across its body, like it normally would; when a certain purple extremity sliced through its midsection. The others turned towards him and fired without hesitation. Shiro struggled to evade the blasts and ducked behind the columns for protection. Pressing his back to the pillar, he glanced back toward the attacks behind him. As soon as they ceased, he lunged out from where he was and attacked. Shots fired, but he managed to avoid them all the way in to take each one out. The dozen or so sentries took no time at all to overcome, despite his painful state and all the blaster fire. Shiro used his Galra hand to melt through the cuffs, to free all the aliens of their shackles._

 _"Everyone stay within the temple's walls." Shiro told them. "I promise we'll let you know when it's safe to come out." Shiro then left and headed out to find Te-Osh._

 _XXXX_

 _Te-Osh ran as far away from the temple as she could; while still keeping the small army of Galra behind her. Stopping in a clearing, she waited for them to catch up to her. The stomping feet came closer, trudging through the rough ground. She stood facing them as they arrived, and whipped out two blades of, likely, ancient origin. The base of the larger blade crossing with a smaller one; melding into one larger one towards the tip of the weapon; the largest portion of its pointed blade. Sendak and his army stood before her at the edge of the clearing; glaring at her fiercely._

 _"Attack!" Sendak ordered and the bombardment of blaster fire began. Te-Osh sprinted around to her left, away from the attack; managing to stay ahead of it rather well. Getting in close she sliced away the heads of the half dozen or so sentries nearest to her. Moving on she went after one sentry after, she had almost defeated all of them when an explosion of pain erupted into her torso. Sendak stood there with the blaster held in his only hand, indicating the origin of the blast. Te-Osh dropped to the ground, her breaths labored and gasping; the pain unimaginable. At that moment, Shiro came running through the trees into the clearing. Gasping at what he saw, he sprinted over to her as best he could. Blaster fire scattered around them as he began to drag Te-Osh behind a rock for cover. He leaned her head on a smaller rock, and observed the giant gaping would in the very center of her torso, which bled in a profuse and gruesome fashion._

 _"No.. Te-Osh, please,.. stay with me.." Shiro begged, holding his hands over the wound to try and stop her from bleeding. "You'll be ok. I'll get you out of here."_

 _"*cough* No.." Te-Osh gasped. "This is where my journey ends... but there's something.. you must know.. *cough* *splutter* I know who you are... and.. **who** came with you."_

 _"What?!" Shiro gasped, surprised to know this._

 _"You.. are known as the Champion.. amongst the Galra... *cough* *cough* and-.. *wheeze* you rescued a fellow earthling who would've died had you not helped him."_

 _"How do you know all this?" Shiro asked, his shock plainly evident on his face._

 _"Because.. I know t-the one you rescued-.. all that time ago... Matthew.. H-Holt..." Shiro's eyes widened at the mention of his name._

 _"Please.. take this." She pressed a small device into his hands, concealing it from his view. "It's.. a transponder.. it'll.. help you and your friends.. locate him..."_

 _"I'm not leaving you." Shiro told her. gripping the her hand tenderly._

 _"You must.." Te-Osh insisted. "I-.. am finished... please... stop Zarkon.. bring-.. down the Empire.. rid- the universe of this pestilence!" And with this last statement... came her last breath. Shiro's heart broke, pain stabbing him in the chest at this tragic scene. The blaster fire ceased and he stood up where he could see them. Sendak grinned pleasurefully at what he'd just achieved; and this seemed to ignite something within Shiro that he'd rarely felt. Stepping out from around the rock his right hand flared to life; his other hand tightened to create a fist, but then suddenly his bayard appeared within it instead. He looked down and lifted it up a bit, as he watched it amazingly begin to glow. Sendak's laugh rang out and Shiro looked up, anger flared up within him in a way he'd never felt before in his life. This anger seemed to trigger something inside of him, because without even thinking he slammed his forearms together in front of his body. This act activated two shapes the materialize in the pinkish-purple glow of his hand, coming up to his elbow. Splitting his hands to his sides again, the black plated armor and glowing purplish blades defined themselves; losing the pinkish glow, other than the blades themselves. Sendak seemed only a little bit surprised by this; but Shiro hadn't a care, as he lunged forward to attack. Anger and rage burned through him like he'd never had before, something must've snapped deep within him; because he didn't feel the usual restraint he was used to. Sendak, still missing an arm, seemed to fight just fine. He managed to tag Shiro across the back and sent him tumbling back away from him. The Black Paladin staking his blades into the ground to pull himself up again._

 _"I don't need both my upper extremities to take you down!!" Sendak thundered, lunging forward again, to which Shiro responded in the same way. The two were now plunging headlong toward one another, a sword in Sendak's single arm clashing with both of Shiro's in mid-air. Landing on the ground facing away from each other(their backs turned to one another), the blade fell from Sendak's hand. Sendak turned to face him again, blood pouring down his arm in tiny rivers of the liquid-life substance; which defined the extent of the injury inflicted upon him._

 _Sendak sneered viciously at Shiro, his anger boiling up and over the top; as he plunged toward him once more; a clawed arm extended in his direction. Shiro dematerialized his bayard and stepped back. Holding strong, he took Sendak's arm and used his momentum to swung the Galra commander over his shoulder and into the waiting pod; which had been disguised by a holographic shield up until this point. Shiro was blindsided by a blow to the right side of his head, which knocked him down to one knee. Shiro sidestepped and put his hands to the ground to catch himself. A dizzying ring sounded in his ears and his head pounded. Sendak approached him stiffly, step after staggering step. Suddenly a light flashed and cruiser fire was released upon them._

 _"What?!" Sendak spat, looking up quickly. He sneered at the sight of the fleet of cruisers hovering overhead. He turned back to Shiro; who suddenly thrust himself up to deliver a blow that plunged him and the men gether behind him into the pod and the doors closed._ _"No!!" Sendak rumbled, as the doors slammed closed before he could make an escape. Shiro stood watching, as the pod rose up off the ground and jetted off to the stars. Shiro's eyes stared hard at the spacecraft, as a red tear flowed down his temple. A crimson substance trickled down the side of his thigh, as he held the wound in his right hand; as if attempting to stop it from hurting or bleeding further. His white floof waved in the wind, his brow tense as he watched the pod's disappearance into the dark abyss above him. A light reached out to him from behind, signifying the coming of dawn. The lights only lit up parts of the grass, as Shiro turned to head back up the path, but he stumbled and fell to his knees on the gentle slope. His hands caught him, as he gasped for breath from the pain of his jostled wounds. An anthropomorphic, dog-like alien accompanied by and an alien of unknown origin raced up behind him, from the cruiser landed in the same clearing a short distance from him. They quickly helped him to his feet and led him toward it slowly._

 _"Easy there, Paladin." The unknown alien told him gently._

 _"Te-Osh!" Shiro gasped, stopping in his tracks. "She's- still back there." He told them slowly turning to look back. The two aliens dropped their gaze._

 _"We know." The same alien responded solemnly, as a small group of other assorted aliens walked by; with a transport bed carrying something covered by a white sheet of cloth over top of it. Shiro's eyebrows furrowed together at this sight, as the transport was wheeled into the cruiser. The aliens then led Shiro in after it and they all set off for the stars; the whole fleet of commandeered Galra ships took off for the stars together and didn't stop until they reached their destination._


	17. The Escapade!

Chapter seventeen: The Escapade!

 _The ramp of the cruiser lowered and there stood Shiro and the freed aliens with the white clothed transport. When the ramp went down, the group caught sight of two masked soldiers standing ready to fight. But when they saw who it was who had arrived, they rose from their battle stances and pulled off their cloth masks and hoods._

 _"Ozar! Olia! Thank Traximus you're both okay!!" The familiarity of the voice was just as shocking as seeing her face._

 _"Uh-.. Nyma?" Shiro gasped, surprised to see her._

 _"You.." the alien responded curiously, squinting as if to see him better. "What are you doing here?" She asked, concerned written all across her face._

 _"I'm not sure.. I was.. battling Zarkon.. but-.. somehow I ended up stranded on a desolate planet that-.. seemed to be dying." Shiro coughed weakly and doubled over slowly; and Commander Ozar knelt down at his side, placing a hand on his back, the other hand to his forearm._

 _"He was wounded in battle.." Ozar told them, looking up at her. "He saved us all from imprisonment by at the hands of Commander Sendak. That planet is safe because of him."_

 _"We checked over the planet's infrastructure, and it seems sound enough for its people to remain living there." Olia spoke up looking from Shiro and Ozar to Nyma as well. "The planet will be safe to recover on its own. We managed to get to it in time."_

 _"Well isn't that good news." Rolo commented pulling off his hood and mask as well._

 _"Indeed." Ozar smiled. "Now hurry!" He went on pulling Shiro up again. "We must tend to his injuries as soon as possible." Nyma stepped forward to place a hand on his shoulder to help, as they began forward past her. Suddenly the wind whipped up and as soon as they looked up; cruiser fire rained down on them._

 _"Run!" Ozar cried, looking to Nyma. Nyma and Rolo retreated back to their ship and the aliens helped Shiro back into their cruiser. As soon as they were in the air, they evaded the attacks as best they could and even returned fire before managing escape(via hyperdrive)._

 _XXXX_

 _The Olkari alien threw more wood onto the small fire, which growled with pleasure; as it swallowed up the new fuel. Shiro grunted painfully as they laid him down. Ozar tossed something aside and pulled off his mask._

 _"This cave should suffice for now." He said finally. "It is too dangerous for us to try to return to rebel headquarters. We should be safe here until this blows over."_

 _"I'm sorry.. for putting you all in this situation." Shiro managed to say, rather weakly._

 _"Nonsense, Paladin." Ozar told him. "From what you've told us, you did not have a choice in the matter."_

 _"And now that you're safe.." Nyma put in, taking his wrist in her hand. "We can finally take a look at this wound." She lifted his arm up over his head as she spoke, and immediately felt bad with what she saw._

 _"So.. you've always been apart of this organization?" Shiro began lightly, as the alien began to assess the injury further._

 _"Only recently." Nyma replied, looking him in the eyes for only a moment. "This wound is deep." She went on, studying it a bit more closely. "It'll take awhile to heal, but you should be fine. We'll have to dress it for now, until we can get you to a proper healing facility."_

 _"Thank you.. for helping me." Shiro told her, addressing the other aliens as well. "I probably wouldn't have made it out of there alive without you.. and Te-Osh.." everyone's expressions became that of sorrow at the mention of their fallen comrade._

 _But no one expected it when a blast from outside shook the ground; much to their surprise and horror._

 _"They've found us!!" Olia exclaimed, rising to her feet._

 _"We must get out of here!!" Ozar exclaimed, looking to the entrance of the cave. Shiro forced himself to get up; despite the unimaginable pain it caused. Managing to make it to a one-legged kneel, he held his side gingerly as he stiffly gasped for breath; his other hand still braved to the ground for additional support._

 _"I need- to get out of here." He told them breathlessly. "I've-.. got to.. lead them away.. from here."_

 _"Absolutely not!" Nyma protested immediately. "It's too dangerous for you to go out there alone."_

 _"Yes, you're in no condition to fly, let alone fight." Ozar concurred heavily. "If you go out there by yourself you'll surely be captured."_

 _"I-.. can't risk you-.. getting caught.. or discovered…" Shiro breathed intently, forcing himself to stand up; bracing a hand to the wall next to him. "Your.. organization is.. too important.. to our fight against the Galra… We must.. protect it-.. for the sake.. of the universe.-" Everyone was silent in the room, another blast shook the ground; nearly knocking everyone off their feet._

 _"Alright!" Ozar decided finally. "We'll create a diversion to aid in your escape; but we ask only this if you…" He took out another device similar to that of the one Te-Osh gave him. He held it next to the one Shiro had been given and then handed it to him. "Keep in touch.. we have rebel scouts stationed in nearly every quadrant of the universe. Get in touch with them as soon as you're in a safe place. They'll help guide you to a healing unit to take care of that wound. They may even be able to track down Voltron for you. But please.. above all else… be careful out there… the Galra would be all too willing to take you out, if they see fit."_

 _"Thank you.. I'll try to contact you as soon as I can." Shiro told them thankfully._

 _"Olia, help him get to a ship." Ozar commanded. "Take him down that way. We'll sprint for the cruisers and begin the distraction."_

 _"Copy that!" The canine alien responded leading Shiro by his forearm down the tunnel opposite the entrance._

 _"The rest of you.." Ozar continued when they'd left. "Let us take care of our unwanted guests."_

 _XXXX_

 _Olia lead Shiro into an underground cavern that, when she flipped on the old, flickering lights, gave way to a couple old Galra escape pods._

 _"Heh, deja vu." He mumbled to himself, with a light chuckle. Olia helped him into the pilot seat and Shiro activated the pod to turn on._

 _"You should have everything you need to make an escape, we've already loaded supplies into these pods for our rescue and transport missions." The alien told him._

 _"Great, thank you…" Shiro smiled gratefully back at her. "So much."_

 _"Be careful out there…" the alien told him slowly. "The Galra are more dangerous than you may think."_

 _"Believe me.. I know." Shiro returned simply. Then Oila exited the pod and watched as he took off through the open hatch, which closed behind him as soon as he was out._

 _As Shiro jetted on the course he'd set for himself, he could see far to his right the laser fire from the battle that was clearly in full swing. Maintaining this heading, he held his course for nowhere in particular; but one he knew would get him to a safe place. His fever weighed down hard on him and he knew he wasn't well; but at the same time he knew that if he wasn't in a safe place he would never **get** well again. Which was why he was gonna have to push through, until he made it back to the one place he **knew** he was safe…. Voltron._

 _He simply watched the stars innocently floating by him, when suddenly an influx of lasers cut off his course; forcing evasive maneuvers to avoid getting hit. Tapping at the screen with one hand, he found that his scanners had picked up a Galra ship that had escaped the diversion to chase him down. Knowing this, he took both handles again; bringing the ship around to return fire with the cruiser. The fighters launched and Shiro knew he was in trouble. Turning the ship around again, he pushed it as fast as it could manage away; hoping to, at least, get ahead of them before they could catch up. Yet he soon realized that this was not going to be the case. 'Where is a wormhole when you need one.' He thought desperately. And just when he thought he was caught, a flash appeared behind him; followed by an explosion, followed by another flash. Checking his scanners again after another blast, the Galra ship lay in ruins from billowing smoke and the remaining fighters doubling back toward it. And though he was confused by this, he couldn't waste time on it; as he soon realized that his altitude was falling like he was. And he had to completely focus on the giant ice moon that was hurtling toward him. Pulling up on the yoke, he let out an earth shattering cry; as his own body screamed in agony!..._

 _XXXX_

 _The ringing in his ears was enough to make his brain bleed; his eyes hurt even before he opened them. The splitting of a hair could cause his pounding headache to worsen. He didn't dare move for fear of the pain that would result. But movement suddenly got his attention.. a breeze? And the way it gently pulled at his white floof felt abnormal. 'In what way could this occur?' His vision blurred back to normal and he saw daylight.. 'but why was it on the floor?' His eyes widened.. 'unless.. he wasn't.." The chill of the air rushed in to nip at his nose. 'How did this come about?!' He mind gasped. He noticed, now, that his arms hung toward the floor; which he pulled up to his sides. The creak of metal and the feeling of unsteadiness surrounded him. 'How was he like this? What had happened to accomplish such an impossible act?' Attempting to move he found that he couldn't and looked up at himself. The control panel had been smashed in just right, that his whole lower half was encased in the crinkled up metal. His blood ran cold at this; as a darkening feeling suddenly came upon him. Attempting to move, he found that both legs responded to his command, and he could feel everything that he did; which was both a blessing and a curse at this moment. Struggling to free himself, he activated his hand. Forcing it into the mass of bent metal and wires, he ripping a hole in it releasing him, shoulders first, to the cold, hard ground. Dizziness and ringing slammed him in the head once more, and he lay flat on the ground with his eyes closed for a moment. He only opened them, when he realized he was moving again. The sky was rolling up and Shiro's eyes popped wider; immediately rolling around to his feet, he took off in a sprint toward it. Crashing through the glass, he leapt out into mid-air. Time stood still, as he soared toward the icy edge; and he managed to catch his Galra hand on the cliff with barely anything to spare. His grip jerked and he lost it plunging down into the darkness below._

 _XXXX_

 _As if he needed to know this, his headache was still hammering. His eyes registered the sky above, but somehow it felt warmer and colder down here at the same time. Forcing himself to sit up, he felt the chilling breeze once more. A twinge followed by a burning sensation indicted the injury to his right shoulder, which he knew was likely broken or sprained; though he couldn't be sure which. Only a small ledge lay under him. Leaning ever so slightly to his right, he peered down into the darkness; the drop seeming to go on for miles into darkness's death trap. To his left, though, was a small ice cave, a sight for sore eyes to say the least. Fearing to stand and walk, he carefully crawled with one arm into the cave and set himself against the ice-cold walls; his breaths visible against the frozen air. 'The only thing that could be worse than this..' He thought. 'Would be to have the Galra find me here.' And he waited there exactly how he lay.. until sleep overcame him._

 **Hi guys, how's it going?! This chapter was sooo much fun to write. Explaining how Shiro got to where the team found him, has been so much fun to creatively execute!!! Hope you guys find it as enjoyable as I did writing it! Thx!!!**


	18. The Stranger

Chapter eighteen: The Stranger

"I had to cauterize the wound many times, but due to the lack of resources… I could never actually care for it…" Shiro was saying as the story continued...

 _Shiro awoke to Zarkon's face flashing across his mind! 'Was he here?! Was he back? And did he really have the Black Lion? But how was that possible? It was back with Keith and the Paladins; safe in the Castle?... Or was it?' He attempted to shift positions, but seethed at the inferno that exploded in his left side. He breathed through his teeth in an attempt to force himself to calm down again; he brought his hand up to where he could see it and activated its glowing power. Bracing himself, he laid his hand in the center of the most affected area; his cries echoing for miles. Plopping back against the wall, he picked up a piece of ice at his side, and gently touched it to the newly burnt handprint on his side; jumping only slightly at the sting it created. He felt the dampness of sweat at his neck; which also plastered loose hairs from his white floof to his forehead. The distant heaviness of his fever, still nipped at his brain. The wind howled through the canyon outside, earning his momentary glance. Remembering the device, he quickly took it out of his side pocket and activated it's transponder code. The little screen flickered on, but fizzled out just as quickly. 'Must be too far underground.' He guessed to himself, then looked straight up ahead of him. The darkened shapes of shadows indicated a groove in the ice, which concealed something of an opening. Forcing himself up using the wall, he followed it with his hand all the way around to where the darkness **really** began. Around the corner he peered, down a long icy hallway. The darkness both tempting and intimidating to enter; but looking back toward the drop right outside the cave, he found he didn't really have a choice.. other than to advance into the unknown territory that was laid before him. So with that decision in mind, he headed on down the corridor; immersing himself in the, for now, docile beast of midnight which awaited him as his journey continued._

 _XXXX_

 _He seemed to have walked forever.. his thoughts being the only company other than the complete darkness. Just now remembering that his suit contained a gauntlet light, he activated it and shone far up the cave in front of him. His light searched what it could see, in giving Shiro some idea as to what was ahead; which he hoped didn't involve anything having to do with a drop or a rise for him to overcome. But to his despair a wall rose up to block his path; as his heart began to sink. Taking out the device again, it didn't even flicker this time. He was on his own for this one too. His eyes scanned the area, when they spotted a very subtle ledge running up to another tunnel about ten feet up. This ledge turned out to be about half the length of his own foot but he knew he didn't really have another option. Pressing his back to the frigid wall, he began the shuffle up the steep slope; minding the fact that everything was made of slippery ice. About more than halfway up, the ice crumbled under his weight and his foot slipped. Grabbing for a handhold, he sadly couldn't get one and he free-falled down the jagged rotunda to the hard ground below. The dizzying feeling returned in a heartbeat; his injuries were piling up.. and he could feel it catching up with him. Coughing from losing his breath for a brief moment; he lay there only a second longer before gingerly forcing himself to roll himself up again. Starting on his knees, he heavily muscled his knees up to lift himself to his feet. He stumbled and nearly fell over, due to the unsteadiness that hit him in a wave of disorienting light-headedness. Regaining control of himself again, he stepped forward to study the wall in front of him. Placing a hand to it he found that it was completely smooth; any divots in the glacier would not suffice as a firm hand or foot holds. At least not unless he wanted to hit the ground again; possibly even harder than he did just moments ago. He squinted up at the opening above him, the gentle glow of light coming in through the ice far up at the top of the small, cylindrical space; giving off only enough detail for him to understand the difficulty of his task. He thought hard for a solution when something hit him. Looking to his right hand, his bayard suddenly summoned to it. Holding it up to look at it.. he became determined. Activating it, the weapon of its own choosing, appeared and somehow, in that moment, he knew what to do with it. Pointing it up just right he shot the blade from it; revealing the cable weapon(which resembled Pidge's) that it secretly was. The purplish-pink blade caught a hold far above him. Then touching a hand to the plating of the weapon it materialized the second one; which he shot just below the mouth to the ledge and looped the end of it from his weapon for his foot to go through. Activating the retraction, the ascension began; slow and grueling it proceeded on. He reached the top of the ledge and put his free foot to the edge. As he shifted his weight, however, his ankle rolled and his blade was pulled loose. Catching his knee on the edge, he hit the floor face down digging his blade into the ground to stop his fall; which he found worked quite well, and he pulled himself all the way up. Turning his body to sit down, he tested his ankle; swelling already becoming evident by the lack of motion and incredible pain. Turning to look down the mouth of the cave behind him, he noted the strange way it sloped down. 'A slide?' He wondered. Testing his ankle once more, he knew he wouldn't be walking on it any time soon; so there was only one thing to do. Swiveling himself around he took the plunge and, indeed, he found a slide that wound around like a rollercoaster all on its own. Left.. then right.. the a drop.. then a bump. Finally it sloped up and spit him out into a thick blanket of snow. The chill against his skin made him shiver, but at the same time it felt good; even his ailing ankle felt better from it. His eyes caught sight of something and he looked up. A forest lay before him now. He found that he'd landed in a small clearing, where the forest encircled him against the side of the glacier. 'I can't wait around here.' He thought to himself. As he sat there, he found that his ankle felt better. 'Maybe I can manage.. for a little while anyway.' he finally plucked up the courage to stand which succeeded only at the cost of his balance; which had become quite obscured. Limping terribly, he managed to make it to the edge of the trees where be funneled into an opening; much like a small hallway. The snowy canopy let in only a small amount of light, giving it a gentle blue glow that didn't seem at all eerie. Instead it made it feel rather comforting; like a blanket of warmth in the chill of loneliness, that surrounded him in icy crystals. A terrible limp sapped a huge chunk of his energy, and he had to wait for another burst to come before making the next one. He braced himself against a tree for support, and heaved a heavy breath. Sweat still moistened his brow; and could feel the nip of the cold against his skin, as it nibbled on him some more. 'I need.. To get back to the team.. But where are they?.. And where am I?' His limping walk turned more into a stumble, as he trudged on barely making any progress. Finally his energy was spent and he hit the ground on his knees; his hands finding the ground to catch himself, a fire burning through his side and out across his body from there. The heaviness weighed heavier than it had ever been, almost to the point of crushing him beneath its metal-weighted foot. He wanted to ride and continue, but his body paid no mind to his mind's wishes._

 _"You've got a lot of determination in you, that I'll grant you." A strange voice said as Shiro looked up frantically to find the owner of the voice. "But you'll need more than that, if you hope to survive out here all alone." He finished, as Shiro managed to find the strength to stand; bracing a hand to the tree right beside him and holding his wounded side with the other. His delirium and blurred vision obscured the stranger's features; but couldn't fully mask the purple skin and white hair that defined somewhat of an image to which he appeared._

 _"Wh- who are you?" Shiro questioned, a bit nervous and a bit hostile._

 _"No one to be of concern to you." The stranger replied making no advances. "For now, I mean you no harm."_

 _"Can I be expected to trust you, for saying that?" Shiro wondered I bit coldly._

 _"Do you have a better alternative to your current state?" The stranger replied matter-of-factly. Shiro's brow furrowed intensely; his fist clenched and glowed to life._

 _"Doing this would be ill advised." The stranger warned. Shiro stepped forward, but the burning in his side halted his desired action; and he grimaced, dropping to one knee. "You do not possess much of your right mind, do you?" The stranger noted. His face shifting in a nod to the four figures gathered with him. Two of these figures approached him and he felt this unfamiliar sense of helpless to resist their touch. Taking both arms, they pulled him up to his feet; but not at all in a hostile manner it seemed. In his delirium, he could tell something was off about their overall presence; but couldn't quite place it, as to what it might be. They led him through the forest for a distance, before the sunlight intensified; indicating an exit. His blurred vision caught sight of an odd shape that looked to be a ship.. one he didn't recognize. The strange pattern of colored plating defined its features, somewhat painting a picture of how it looked as a whole. The inside of the ship, he could tell, was quite dark. Panels added light to the small room as if on command; thinking their thoughts before they did. The strangers set Shiro in a chair at the center of the room. Through his glossy vision, he could see the shapes of the five strangers all bustling about their own business, which remained completely unknown to him. As he sat there his distant feeling weighed in and out on him; scattering his thoughts once again._

 _"Your passion to get to where you're going is most admirable." The main stranger complimented, a hint of offness in his tone._

 _"I know where I belong is all." Shiro responded lightly, barely moving at all; and keeping his head laid back against the back of the chair._

 _"I imagine if that is true you have someone looking for you." Shiro the stranger continued, and Shiro could tell he was questioning him._

 _"I'd imagine so too." The Black Paladin replied simply. The stranger's eggshell brow furrowed._

 _"You seem to worry little about your current situation; as though there is no problem with aimless wandering." He said._

 _"Worrying about what is going wrong won't solve anything.." Shiro returned wisely. "Staying focused on changing it is what matters."_

 _"Sir.." One of the commanders mumbled, so Shiro could barely hear. "Is this really necessary?" She asked leaning in closer to mumble the rest to him._

 _"We simply need to find out his intent… necessity.. isn't the point." Her leader responded._

 _"I.. appreciate you getting my out of the cold.." Shiro spoke up again. "But.. why are you helping me?" Shiro's question would seem ungrateful to the naive.. but to him and the stranger he was questioning.. it was an inquiry of the mind._

 _"There as many ways to answer that, as there is ways to execute it." The stranger ventured. "One good deed should follow another, and therefore be rewarded; regardless of how it is done."_

 _"But how did you find me here and what convinced you to do something?" Shiro questioned further._

 _"No one is without purpose." The strange leader returned. "And my actions do not prove nor disprove this fact. But you have given me all that I desire. And so for that.. I shall grant you **your** desire." A stick in his left arm inside the elbow spread veins of greenish light, in a rush that surged his heart; then a heaviness soon followed, dropping him in darkness and he fell deep into the abyss. Seemingly to his death…_

 **How's it going, everybody?! Finally got another chapter done for you guys! And I'm sooo excited to hear your thoughts on it, and I can't wait to see how you guys like what comes next!! Thx!!!**


	19. Recon!

Chapter nineteen: Recon!

"The next thing I knew I was alone again." Shiro explained to the team. "Left inside, what looked like some kind of shuttle pod; but it wasn't like a regular Galra pod. The controls were slightly different and the difference of the panels were very minor."

"So.. how'd you get to the base?" Keith asked, still lost as to where this was going.

"Well that's how it happened.." Shiro ventured once more...

 _Ears ringing, head thumping, pressure weighing on his chest. Pushing himself up to all fours, he looked up to his right. A large orb-shaped light stood embedded in the wall, a strange design decorating the wall around it. Glancing up to his left, he saw another wall that looked to be split down the middle; and the unique design of it indicated a possible reason for its creation. Pushing one knee up he stood, wobbling just a bit from the lightness it gave off. His side stung, and he instinctively brought a hand to it.. but then he realized that the scale in which his pain had once been on.. wasn't what it was now. It was lower than he remembered. 'What had changed? And what could be sustaining this phenomenon even as he stood here?' All he knew was that, now, he could see a door on the left hand wall.. and standing in front of it,… confirmed this observation when the wall split and slid aside. Shiro strode into the small cockpit and sat down. The panels lit up immediately, as if it had been waiting for him this whole time. The strange characters that flashed across the screens looked Galra.. but the overall appearance of the controls did not. The shuttle's thrusters activated at his command and the wayward course was set, when he took the handles. These handles however were not like Voltron's.. and certainly not like the Galra's, but they seemed slightly familiar in a way. Just the same, he felt the ship jostle ever so slightly and he maintained his steady hands to try and keep it straight. The snowstorm that was brewing blew against the small craft, beginning to make his injuries hurt again; though still not nearly as bad as before. Jetting into the wind, it aided in his escape from the planet; as he glided through its current, then on up out of the planet's atmosphere. Now drenched in the darkness of open space, he could think only of finding Voltron.. and hopefully… the team with it. 'But if they rescued me..' He thought. 'They should still be together… right?' He released a heavy breath and closed his eyes for a moment. That moment of silence was suddenly ended, however, when the ship suddenly jolted. And the Black Paladin had to leap into action immediately, instantly knowing the reason for this sudden motion. The attack from above came more, and another hard blast knocked him off balance and Shiro **almost** lost his grip on the controls and spun out. But somehow, the pain he felt.. was STILL not to the extent he'd previously been struggling with. The ship trembled with another hard attack 'Who is it that's attacking me?' His mind wondered, but his gut had a feeling of who. Before he could truly confirm it, though, one final blast(larger that any before it) rattled the ship; and suddenly he realized that he was in free fall. His eyes shot up to the screen and he could see the looming pile of earth and rock, which would soon welcome him in a harsh event, which he could see coming even before his eyes saw the screen. And all he could do in the moment, was pull up on the handles as hard as he could manage and clench his eyes closed; bracing for what was to come next._

 _XXXX_

 _Whiplash evident, he straightened his back to sit up again. All that he saw outside ship's 'windshield' was rubble and darkness. 'Whoever shot me down will likely be here soon.' His mind figured. Standing up, he hadn't gotten two steps when the pain of his injuries suddenly returned in a heavy wave, that faded back to out as quickly as it had come. Shiro clutched his mid-section, as a sickening feeling came over him as the pain did; and once it was gone again, he felt fine once more. 'Whatever this is… it's wearing off.' He thought. Then proceeded on toward the back of the ship._

 _XXXX_

 _Activating a couple codes on the screen, and holding the small duffle bag in hand, he took off for the hatch in the roof of the cargo hold. Hurriedly pulling himself up out of the hatch, he sprinted as fast as he wounded body would allow(which was proving much easier than it had been before). Sliding under a rocky overhang, just barely his size; he covered his head with both arms and braced for what was coming…_

 _BANG!!!!! The pod went up and the flames synged the Galra ships stalking him from above, destroying the nearest ones. Galra managed to make it to the ground to inspect the remainder of the destroyed shuttle, and Shiro hardly dared himself to breathe; even despite the distance between him and them. But then suddenly the ground under him slightly jerked and began to raise his upper body, to the point that he realized he was sliding backwards. Turning onto his back, he realized he was sliding down a wider space than the rocks had led him to believe.. and now he appeared to be on a short slide that spit him out in a small dark room. His eyes took their time to adjust... but once they had, he began to realize what he'd just stumbled upon. A small ametuer computer lay ingrained in the wall on the left. And on the opposite wall, there lay a flat wall decorated with signs and symbols; images and short scripts. All tied together within a central point on the map-like board that was pinned before him. A hint of unknown familiarity rang true for this display… but he couldn't quite pinpoint the memory in his mind at this time. The continuity of this masterpiece of intel told him one thing for certain…_

 _"This is a spy facility for the rebels." Shiro breathed aloud, but who it was who ran it… he couldn't quite know. Looking around he found a small satchel, spilled over on the floor next to the computer on the right side. Slowly crossing the dirt floor, he bent down to pick it up. When he did something fell out and floated lightly down to the floor; hitting the ground face down from what he could see. Stooping down once more, he picked up the small sheet of, what could be a form of paper; and turned it over to see the two familiar smiling faces, which he recognized in a split second. Hurriedly sifting through the satchel, he fumbled around with the assorted objects inside. His eyes flashed when his hand found what he was searching for; and he withdrew his hand to see it. Setting the satchel aside again, he sat down at the computer and tapped at the panel that popped up for him. The encryption was no match for him… only because of the 'insider information' that only he possessed in the moment. Plugging in the object in, he found, to his relief, that it was empty. Taking out the Galra device he'd had with him this whole time, he held it in his calm fingers tenuously; pondering a thought that came to mind at the sight of it. He decided against it and put it back in his side-pocket; placing the other device in with it. Activating the transponder to the code given to him, the small screen lit up and showed a small pulsing dot that indicated the closeness of the one he sought after. Shiro instinctively glanced back over his right shoulder, as if knowing there was something there; and sure enough.. there stood a box. Approaching it, he removed the lid and set it aside; leaning it against the wall in which the box was set against. Strangely enough; there he found a heap of soft, leathery material. Taking them up out of the box, he found some that surprisingly fit him. Pulling the sheets of deep brown, or umber, over his shoulders; he secured them in place with the straps that held them together. Attaching a smaller one to his waist, he pulled the hood and mask over his head and face; and set his helmet inside the box wrapping it in the remaining material. Syncing his gauntlet to the computer, he locked the location in for his return. And opened the exit hatch to climb the rope ladder out into forest once again. Peeking out cautiously, he found that the coast was clear, so he proceeded to slip on out; immediately closing the hatch behind him. Peering over the edge of the rocks, he had to drop down again right away due to the Galra crews still bustling about the damaged ship. Creeping away in the opposite direction, he made his way through the silence of the forested area. As he walked, he suddenly recalled something in flashes… that soon became a running memory, like playing an old movie off the side of a barn or at an outdoor theater. A memory he hadn't recalled to exist until now…_

 _Light flashed and soon he stood in an abyss of space-like stars painted with shades of blue, pink and purple. Suddenly, through this calm display, a certain point straight ahead of him melted into a bright light, that burst forth as a sharp blade; it's wielder aiming in his direction quite clearly. In order to defend himself, he raised his glowing Galra hand to it and swung; deflecting the blade to send his attacker plunging right on past him. A massive crash landed this intruder, masking them from view in a cloud of space dust that concealed his identity.. until it cleared. The deep red color and characteristic markings on his armor, and the large, muscular figure gave him away completely. And that's when the battle began…_

 _The memory now came in aftershocks, and he could see the Paladins putting up a huge fight against Zarkon on his behalf; even going so far as to free him of the Galra Emperor's influence and leaving him to his own devices… which was, of course, not by choice. Trees and earth remained his surroundings, as his thoughts continued to wander; though his years of experience and training kept a close attentiveness about his demeanor. The docile beast of a forest suddenly cleared away, dropping into a pool of rock; which he found took on a more distinctive shape. A purplish glow hinted from small specks throughout the scooped out land. The gargantuan fingers of the massive planet pointed the way toward the openness of space, just an atmosphere away from swallowing it in its midnight influence. Gazing up, he instantly noticed the Galra barricade surrounding the planet. 'Must've been how they found me so quickly.' He guessed thoughtfully. His chest lurched, as another wave of pain from his wounds washed over him. Looking at the transponder code, as the pain passed once more, he noted that it still showed his desired location._

 _"He's in there." He had to say aloud, keeping his tone low, as if someone were to hear. Creeping over the edge, he slowly surfed his way down the steep incline; keeping himself hidden by the ridge's shadow behind him. Getting to a point where rock and earth became metal, he felt the panel with the computerized components of his Galra hand finding that it was just a panel. Then Shiro's eyes flashed a recognition and immediately made the change. Pulling back his sleeve he activated his gauntlet and began the scan. The result showed where **he** was, and the blip that signified his friend.. 'he's close!' His mind gasped._

 _XXXX_

 _The panel fell to the floor with a not-so-silent clang, and Shiro dropped through the hole it created._

 _"Hurry up!" He heard a deep voice call. And he darted down the hall to his left, slipping around the corner just as a group of Galra turned a corner just beyond where he'd been standing. "We need to escort the prisoner to the brig immediately, so we can get back to more fitting jobs." The overly proud lieutenant barked, maintaining his heading at the front of the group. Shiro barely caught sight of them from his peripheral vision around the corner behind him. But the prisoner at the center of the group, cloaked and shackled, he could recognize immediately; even despite the time that had passed since their last encounter. Listening for when they were gone, he ran back out to gaze in the direction he'd heard them leave in; contemplating what to do next. 'I can't do this by myself.' He thought. 'I need backup..' He snapped his head to the right, where he'd just been hiding and dashed away down the hall in front of him. Weaving through the defenses, which was mostly made up of sentries and drones, until he made it to one of the minor control rooms. Approaching the main computer, which was somehow unattended, and gazed up at the screen. Catching the sound of footsteps behind him, he whipped around to thrust his right hand up to his opposite shoulder, and slice down one of the sentries attempting to taking him by surprise. Adjusting his footing, he sliced the opposite direction(still in a downward motion), to destroy the second one; watching both fall in a heap at his feet. Arriving at the control panel once more, he tapped away at it; searching through files and programs.. until he found the access point he needed. Pressing one more button, the screen sucked away the one that displayed his face and a screen on the panel lit up. Hesitantly pressing his Galra hand to it, he found that nothing happened. '*sigh* I'm finally free.' He thought, closing his eyes in relief. More screens popped up and he sifted through them some more. One in particular caught his attention.. and his eyes lightened. Pressing his hand to the panel again, the transfer was completed. Moving on to the true target information, he soon found what he was looking for; suddenly developing a strange feeling. Glancing to his left, he noticed the grooves in the paneling and knew what they were. Prying it open, he took out one of the delivery drones that lay waiting for him; bringing it over to the computer. Reaching into his side-pockets under the folds of his cloak, he took out a cable with two strange connectors. Taking out the device from the satchel, he plugged one end of the cable into the computer and plugged the device into the other. 'Commence the download.' He thought to himself as the bar appeared to steadily fill itself to a hundred percent._

 _"Hey you!!" Shiro whipped around, as two generic Galra soldiers made their way into the room; having spotted him on their way by. Dropping to the floor on one knee to avoid a punch sent his way, he grabbed the drone and ran; the cable coming loose from the computer and now dangling from his arm. One of the soldiers got a hold of it as he retreated and touched a taser-like device to it sending a shock down the cable. Shiro turned his body toward the Galra, while still keeping the same momentum, as the shock hit him through the cable. Shiro hit the wall now behind him, as the cable came loose from his arm; then scrambled up as the two soldiers plunged toward him in a unified punch. Shiro sprinted down the corridor as fast as he could possibly manage; his side beginning to stab at him from the inside out and vice versa, if you could believe that was possible. Weaving through the maze of hallways proved more difficult this time, as he was now avoiding the whole base on thin ice the whole way. Returning to the same access point, he shot his bayard up to it to pull himself out; holding the drone securely in his other hand. And when reaching the top he shot the bayard down to pick up the panel that he'd cut out to get in and partially welded it back into place with his hand.. just as the Galra came charging through looking for him._

 **Hello everyone!! A new chapter, yay!! Normally I have ended some of my most recent fanfics at twenty chapters(one ending up surpassing that by one chapter!). But guess what… the end is not here yet!!! And probably won't be for a while. I think this one is gonna run the longest of any fic I've ever done. But I hope it still remains a great story for you guys!! Enjoy!! Thx!!!**


	20. Rocky Return

Chapter twenty: Rocky Return

"After escaping the base I had everything I needed.." Shiro explained simply, his eyes looking quite glassy by now.

"To know _how_ to rescue him?" Pidge wondered.

"No.." Shiro shook his head slightly. "To get help I needed _to_ rescue him…"

 _xxxx_

 _Sliding back into the hidden rebel base was no problem the second time around.. though the ache of his body didn't make it any more enjoyable. Kneeling to the ground once he was inside, he dropped the drone and the two devices in front of himself. Taking up the Galra device, he placed it in his side-pocket and the other one(from the satchel), he took up in his left hand. He held it up purposefully, but a sudden onset of a sensation forced him to drop it. He blankly watched it clatter to the ground, and stared at it where it landed for a moment; before finally stooping down to pick it up. Opening the drone's hatch, he carefully placed the drive into it and tapped on a few of the buttons on the drone. Activating his gauntlet once more, he typed in a set of unique numbers and codes, and shot them into the drone's navigation system. Taking it up once more he exited the base and snuck through the forest to the highest point he could find…. just above where he'd crashed. Staring up into the dark blue night, he held the drone on both hands in front of his body. Shifting hands, he pressed a couple buttons on the drone's screen and held it out at arm's length. When the jet's fired, he let go and it blasted off; a cloaking mechanism masking it from view, as it set off for its destination. With this said and done, he stealthily made his way back down the ridge; sliding under the rocky slab that led to his new place of hiding.. where he'd wait for the cavalry to arrive ever so soon..._

 _XXXX_

"Once I sent the drone, I knew it was only a matter of time before you'd come to rescue Matt." Shiro explained distantly. "I used the technology in the hidden base to track the Galra until you arrived… that's how I knew when to break back into the base to help Pidge and Matt escape. I used the drive that I found in Matt's satchel to download the information that I sent to the Blades with the drone; because I knew I had the right connector for Pidge's computer and it'd make it easier to access the intel for a quicker response. I deleted the Galra's information on myself, and sent the message on a private channel; which I had to immediately destroy, so not to give myself or the Blade of Marmora away to the Galra."

"So that's why the message couldn't be fully traced." Pidge realized finally. "You knew that the Blades' computer tech had the ability to save any data they receive, even if it couldn't be traced."

"And using the drive you found in my hidden facility was brilliant." Matt put in; having arrived partway through Shiro's explanation, to listen to the story along with the rest of the team.

"Wow.. gotta say, the guy knows us pretty well." Lance said, placing his hands on his hips impressively.

"I maintained the security of the hidden base until you arrived.. then I destroyed it.. so no one who found it could know what went on in there;.. but not before downloading all the information into this.." He took out the Galra drive he'd concealed this whole time, and handed it to Matt; who took it and looked up at him thoughtfully. "I couldn't download all of it onto it though.. so I used the only other thing I had to finish the download." He held up his right hand and flexed it to hint at his meaning. Pidge got up to get something, as Keith rose to come stand before Shiro directly.

"I'm so sorry, Shiro." The Red Paladin began sheepishly. "It's my fault you had to go through all of that. I was selfish and foolish and-…" Keith's rambling ended with a hand on his shoulder, that brought his eyes up to meet deep, meaningful grey ones. Shiro had somehow gained the strength to stand, reassuringly placing his hand on the younger man's shoulder.

"You're not the first to make a huge mistake, but at least it didn't cost anyone their life." Shiro told him. "And I'd like to think that it was _meant_ to happen." Keith shifted back slightly to drop Shiro's hand off him.

"How can you say that?" He protested icily, a distant twinge of disbelief poking through the look in his eyes.

"Because it gave you the focus to push through and find an answer." The Black Paladin pointed out, hunching slightly to his left.

"Uhhh..what?" Hunk wondered with a lost look on his face.

"What answer are you talking about?" The Princess questioned, almost sounding suspicious.

"I'm remembering now.." Shiro stated. "When Zarkon attacked my mind, he almost succeeded in taking me down.. but you guys saved me." His dynamic tone gave reference to all of them as he spoke. "I reached out to Keith several times.. hoping he'd catch on and rally the rest of you into making it happen."

"The voice.." Keith breathed recalling the strange whisper in his ear. "I was hearing it even before we lost you."

"Yes.." Shiro confirmed lowly. "And I could hear you, believe it or not… though _how_ it was possible, I still can't quite figure it out." Shiro suddenly seethed in pain, grabbing his side as a sudden weakness came over him. Lance and Keith caught his elbows to stop his fall lowering him down into his chair just behind him. Shiro instinctively dropped his left hand down to grab the armrest, as he sat down; Pidge noticing how it trembled as he gripped it and stopped when he relaxed. "*light groan* the pain is only _now_ starting to return to full strength.." Shiro mumbled dryly, his voice rasping a little. "Whatever those strangers shot me with.. it helped me catch _somewhat_ of a break from it all."

"Wait.. so what exactly were these _'strangers'_ like again?" Pidge ventured, when hooking the Galra drive up to her computer, and the computer to the Castle.

"I don't know.." Shiro admitted. "They didn't seem as friendly as they were letting on.. but at the same time they didn't seem to want to harm me either. Something about them was off, but I couldn't really place it at the time. All I remember is they're voices and vague flashes of them. But I didn't really get a very good look at them, given my situation. Most of what I remember was purple and white and then just odd shapes, muddled colors and strange voices. And that ship I.. I can't help but wonder why they left it for me to take. But then again they could've left it for a reason."

"Any idea what?" Lance wondered, now hold his arms crossed across his chest.

"Wish I did." Shiro shrugged slightly, laying back exactly where he was, like some weight was holding him there. Noting Shiro's loose posture, they could tell he wasn't feeling well. His hands hung off the armrests, dangling lifelessly from the rest of his body; which was slouched back slightly against the chair in a sunken position that didn't seem at all comfortable. The glassiness of his eyes showed off the dampness of his pale skin, which shimmered with the remnants of sweat returning to his brow. Pidge pulled up a screen on her gauntlet, which flashed a warning with a red icon.

"His fever's returning.." She reported then looked up at the team. "Whatever has been sustaining him is amazing?!"

"Then there's no time to lose.." The Princess decided. "We need to get him to a pod again.. he has more healing that needs to happen." And with that Hunk and Lance helped Shiro up and back to the infirmary.

 _xxxx_

As the shield went up over him once again,.. Keith wondered if Shiro would remember anything else, for when he would emerge back out of the cryogenic sleep that the healing pod infectiously brought on.

 _XXXX_

Silence remained the company of the five members of the group, no one desiring to speak until a certain moment.

"Sir.. access as been made,.. but we are unable to view it through the connection point." Axca reported, turning from her control panel to make eye contact with her leader.

"Hardly a surprise." Lotor replied, thoughtfully slouching sideways in his chair. "Given the weakened and battered state he was in.. I'd imagine some healing work would likely be the first thing to transpire upon returning…"

 _xxxx_

 _"He's out." Zethrid reported, all four generals standing around the unconscious Paladin looking up to their leader intently._

 _"Begin the sequence." Lotor instructed simply, having stood up with a mindfully stoic look on his face. Narti silently approached a control panel and began typing at it. The desired protocol popped up and she slid it to the right, then turned around. She watched as the small, compact, generator-like device below the left side of the Paladin's chair lit up. And veins of a greenish-blue snaked their way up the large cord, which funneled into a smaller one; connected directly into his metal extremity across his body. The light soon died down.. and the screen in front of Narti lit up; to which she looked up at Lotor and a whispering symphony mentally indicated their success._

 _"Good.. now let us finish this up, shall we?" The wayward Prince of the Galra declared; glancing to his second-in-command and nodding. Axca pressed a button on the panel to her left with her whole hand, and the device's cable automatically disconnected itself from Shiro's arm, falling to the floor in a lifeless clang. Zethrid and Axca took places on either side of Shiro.. taking his arms and pulling them over their shoulders._

 _"Now what are we gonna do with this guy anyway?" Zethrid questioned, almost demanding._

 _"He will be allowed to reach his goal." Lotor replied simply. "So to speak.." And Axca led the way back through the ship to the smaller one waiting out next to theirs…_

 _xxxx_

"It'll take time.." Lotor explained certainly, holding his position this entire time. "But I believe _any_ time is time enough." And the generals exchanged glances.. all wondering about what this meant.

 _XXXX_

Darkness everywhere.. only the slightest light glowed blue to reveal the location to one who might aimlessly wander in. Though one who already was, stared listlessly with glazed eyes.. the bluish-grey hue becoming more grey in the dulled space of time in which he resided. The only thing on his mind was the numb feeling of anything _but_ joy. When he should be celebrating, he felt all he could do was sulk. Keith wondered how long such things would hang over him... but then he recalled a memory from not that long ago.. And remembered exactly why his heart ached in such an agonizing way. Shiro's still face remained so.. no sign of any form of dream or nightmare; yet peace didn't seem to be the tone of his expression. Keith dropped his gaze on the floor and sighed while closing his eyes. Even while not looking at him.. Keith could almost feel his presence from where he was in the pod on his immediate right; as if somehow his very being was standing there with him while his body recovered. Keith looked up hoping to see him standing there; but was sadly disappointed when he saw nothing but the same old display, that had no doubt been here for seemingly ages. Feeling the urge to lie down, he slowly pushed himself up to make his way to the center of the room. Finding his place on the floor, he sat down to slowly lower himself smoothly to the floor. He lay there staring up at the endless ceiling with his hands draped over his stomach; and imagined himself lying on a hill at night. He recalled a time that he chose to manifest in the here and now.. where he and Shiro had once shared their time. _Stars above them.. a cool grassy hill beneath them. And nothing but love and respect for one another to complement the company of the other. That presence seemed to appear again.. but this time a flash appeared to his right. And when he looked over, he found his best friend turning to smile at him in turn. No scar.. no white hair.. and no traumatic background… And for a moment… he dared himself to be even just a little bit relieved. But then Shiro's smiling face bubbled up with the rest of his body, and he melted away once more. And at that time, the sky directly above him split into a bright light that tore away the darkness; like ripping a piece of paper in half.._

 _xxxx_

Keith shot upright again.. his breaths audible and a little fast, as he realized that he'd fallen asleep. From where he lay in the middle of the floor, he glanced around the circle before drowsily setting his eyes on the calm glow of the pod just above him. _Nothing has changed._

"Keith?" The Red Paladin kept his upper body braced up with his elbows, and craned his neck to look back and find Lance standing in the doorway lit up by the hallway lights; looking rather puzzled. Suddenly though his attention was abruptly diverted, when grunts and moans sounded. Keith's eyes flashed wide, as he found Shiro discouragingly squirming about, as the light of the pod would briefly pulse red to interrupt the friendly blue; screaming red flags at him all the way to his very soul.

"Shiro!" Keith scrambled up and raced to the pod, Lance still frozen where he was. Studying the sides of the pod, Keith felt along the edges; as if to try and pry it open. But only received a shock that plunged him back to the floor.

"Keith!" Lance cried, suddenly snapping out of it to leap down to help his friend; just as other figures hurried in.

"What's going on?!" Allura demanded, fright being the main tone of her voice.

"I think it's happening again." Lance replied with just a hint of exasperation and a _lot_ of urgency, as he began to help Keith up by the arms from behind; looking up at Shiro tensely. Allura didn't think twice to smashed her hand to the glass to open the pod; not even caring that she would receive a shock that blasted her back afterward.

"Allura!" Coran cried stressfully, immediately coming to her side. But instantly looked up when hearing something. The team froze, as Shiro fell forward out of the pod and hit the ground on his hands and knees. His breaths could be heard echoing all around them.. and his left arm was noticeably trembling, even as he weighed down on it. His head remained lowered, as his eyes remained closed. Daring himself to open them, he found the floor beneath him; and felt an immediate wave of relief wash over him. With a deep relieved sigh, he laid flat on the ground and seemed to pass out upon contact with the ground.

 **Hey everybody! How's it going?! This next chapter was sooo much fun! I enjoyed this one mostly because of the creative twists that I both, set up earlier on in the story AND introduced exclusively to this chapter. The scene with Keith falling asleep in the middle of the floor of the infirmary, in my opinion, was a rather understandable given his situation. And it had soo much potential that I just couldn't resist! But _Please!_ Lemme know what you guys think? And I hope you enjoy this new chapter! Thx!**


	21. The Restoring Of Bonds

Chapter twenty-one: The Restoring Of Bonds

The team looked on from a distance, as Shiro rested on a table in one of the exam rooms off away from the cryopods.

"He's so heavily medicated he's barely even human." Lance remarked lowly.

"But it's the only way for him to get _any_ sort of rest from all the chaos of his injuries." Pidge informed him. "It'll probably take time for this to blow over."

"Right." Hunk began slowly. "Ok, but- so this is the _second_ time this has happened with the healing pods. And -well- I don't know, maybe we should, -you know- try and figure out what's going on to make that happen? Just a thought." He shrugged, trying to give the illusion of ease, which quite obviously failed to a _"T"._

"I agree with Hunk." Allura concurred. Finding a sharp object on the table next to her, she slit a gash into her own arm; and dropped it to try and activate a pod with one hand. The act of slitting her arm alarmed everyone who beheld it.

"Allura?!" Lance shouted, horrified by this act.

"Princess, what were you thinking?!" Coran cried, nudging her aside to finish the action she was attempting and failing to initiate.

"I was _thinking_.." The Altean girl breathed, holding her hand at the wrist. "This'll prove whether or not what the problem is.."

 _xxxx_

Allura stood inside the pod rather determinedly, her posture erect and her face quite serious; almost as though she were willing it to work perfectly. The shield went down and the Princess came back to them with a deep, cleansing breath.

"Allura! You're back! Thank goodness." Coran sighed with undying relief. The Altean princess lifted her hand to look at it.

"Yes." She said, flexing her hand into a fist. "But we still don't know the reason behind the pod's misfunction with Shiro."

"Why? What do you mean?" Lance asked, fear beginning to creep into the back of his mind. She held out her arm for them to see, showing that the marks she'd cut into her skin had completely healed; no sign of it ever being there at all.

"So if it's not the pods… could it be Shiro?" Pidge guessed, everyone looked to the Black Paladin, still resting on the table where they'd left him; his face turned away from them.

"Something wrong with Shiro?" Lance ventured curiously. "What are saying?"

"I don't know.." The Green Paladin admitted unfortunately. "But maybe it has something to do with that hand tremor on the left side."

"What hand tremor?" Keith asked, losing her train of thought.

"Haven't you guys noticed it?" Pidge wondered rather pointedly. "Both times its happened has been right after he's come out of the pod.. and once more when he stood up next to Keith."

"What does that matter?" Allura wondered. "The cryopod is meant to _heal_ the body of any discrepancies."

"What could be wrong with Shiro, that the healing pod can't fix?" Lance asked openly.

"I.. I don't know. But.. we should at least _try_ to see if we can get some scans on him, like the ones we'd do on earth." Pidge suggested. "Maybe it'd shed some light on all this."

"It's worth a try, but-.. What sort of scans are you referring to?" The Altean Princess wondered, genuinely curious. And Pidge and Hunk exchanged glances knowingly.

 _XXXX_

 _Shiro's eyes popped wide with the distant sounds that were enough to make his blood run ice cold. The blinding spotlight that shone over him, cut out two hasmatted figures with a purplish hue to their appearance.. becoming the horrifying panic of his heart as he tried to struggle.._

 _xxxx_

Shiro's head was the only thing to jerk up.. as though knowing what his physical body was undergoing. The large machine that loomed over him reminded his mind of this fact and he relaxed his head back once more.

"You ok in there, Shiro?" Pidge's voice cracked over the com near his head.

"Been better." The Black Paladin replied lightly.

"Just hang in there." Keith told him, pressing the button to activate the com. "We're almost done."

"So this is how you do things on your planet?" Allura wondered, standing back to watch the whole process unfold. "Earth seems so.. strange."

"These scans won't be _exactly_ like those we do on Earth, they'll actually be _slightly_ more accurate." Pidge explained, turning to glance back at the princess from the corner of her eye.

"And what will they tell us?" Allura wondered, gazing through the glass at Shiro.

"Ideally, they'll hopefully tell us what we wanna know; granted everything goes right." Keith replied, keeping his composed posture of his iconically crossed arms, leaning against the wall just behind Pidge's left side. Getting the scans now." Hunk commentated as the screen panned down to reveal the results. And within moments of seeing them.. Pidge and Hunk released a united sigh.

"Nothing." Pidge vocalized dryly.

"The scans don't show anything out of the ordinary.. least not in Shiro's case." Hunk elaborated sadly.

"So we're back to square one then." Allura implied.

"Basically." Pidge sighed again, looking up to meet her gaze.

"Then what do we do?" Allura wondered bravely. "Where do we go from here?"

"Well whatever I saw.. it doesn't seem to be having any physical effect on him, so there's no real danger from it." Pidge noted slowly. "I guess all we can do is continue to watch it, in order to see if it worsens or changes and try to help him recover naturally; without the pod's ambient energy to help in that."

"Sounds like a plan." Keith decided kinda flatly. "I'll go get Shiro." Then he left without another word, to enter the enclosed space to help Shiro out of it; everyone else standing there solemnly watching. All of them feeling the heavy regret that the Red Paladin, no doubt, still carried from all that had happened since his rocky return via the compromised wormhole.

 _XXXX_

"It's _sooo_ good to see you again, Shiro." Matt raved brightly. "Last time we saw each other we were being sucked up into a bright light off of Kerberos."

"Yeah." Shiro chuckled lightly, his body leaning comfortably to the left in his chair; eyes still a little glassy. "And I was unconscious for most of the rest of it. Then nothing but broken pieces and brief glimpses followed a trail to the day I escaped and after that when I crashed back on Earth."

"Wait.. you _actually_ made it back to Earth?" Matt echoed in disbelief.

"Where do you think we found the Blue Lion of Voltron? And how do you think I got out of Garrison quarantine after they knocked me out?" Shiro responded, the flatness of his demeanor and tone unable to fully mask the playful humor that came with these words.

" _That's_ how this all started?!" Matt breathed, instantly awestruck. "That's incredible!"

"Yeah.. well you should've been there." Hunk told him sarcastically. "I almost wish I _hadn't_ been there." His eyes panned up slightly at the group. " _Almost_." He added quite clearly.

"Man I wish I had been." Matt admitted. "I'd give anything to see that!"

"I barely remember anything from being there." Shiro began again. "I was awake for only a couple of minutes, before Iverson commanded that I be put under until they knew more about how my arm worked."

"Your.. arm?" Matt echoed slowly. Glancing down, he finally realized the vastly different extremity at his right side. His eyes became wide and a gasp caught in his throat. "What happened to you?" The young man questioned lightly, the look of horror glaring off his eyes in a fearful glint of remorse; as he touched a hand to his friend's metallic forearm.

"You mean, what _didn't_ happen?" Lance put in before Shiro could answer. "Shiro's practically seen every angle of the Galra's evil." Matt's wide eyes turned from the Blue Paladin to the Black one.

"The Galra took my arm and replaced it with this." He flexed his prosthetic arm up in saying this, and continued. "They forced me to fight after you were taken away. I defeated the gladiator we were all said to fight that day, when I saved you.. and that's when they decided to change the scenery on me again."

"Speaking.. of which…" Matt recalled thoughtfully dropping his gaze for a moment. "I never _did_ get to thank you for what you did for me. I mean, to many.. it seemed like you'd turned against me. But.. in reality… you were just saving me from embarrassment and probably even death."

"I'd do it again for you anytime." Shiro replied meaningfully. "By the way.. how's the leg? Never thought I'd get the chance to ask you that, but since you're here.."

"Pretty good." Matt answered thankfully, placing a hand to his left knee. "Left a scar.. but otherwise it's been fine."

"Good." Shiro smiled. "Glad to know that my fake attack wasn't too real." This soon faded with a surprised grunt, as he looked down at his left hand; which quivered as if it had a mind of its own.

"Are you ok?" Lance wondered nervously, panning his eyes up to Shiro's face once again.

"Does it hurt?" Pidge asked. Shiro clenched his hand into a fist with a sigh, and it seemed to stop at his command.

"No." He answered the Green Paladin's question flatly. "But something is happening here.. and we need to find out what."

"Maybe it'll go back to normal over time." Hunk suggested.

"We'll keep an eye on it for a while and try to help you get back on your feet again." Pidge told him. "And if it still hasn't gone away.. we'll do something then. Whatever it is.. it's not damaging anything from what I can tell."

"Ok." Shiro complied simply, seeing nothing else he could do or say.

"So.. Shiro.." Matt spoke up cautiously after a short awkward silence. "What _can_ your prosthetic arm do?" Shiro looked to his right arm. He lifted it up to a fist and the purplish glow faded into life. "Woah!" Matt breathed.

"And that's not all it can do." Pidge gushed pleasurefully. Shiro let down the glow and lowered it back down onto the armrest, as Pidge came up beside him. She set her computer on the table next to the chair and took the cable that was connected to it and plugged the other end of it into Shiro's arm. Matt gave her a strange look, as he came to stand over her shoulder; various programs popping up on the screen.

"It has the ability to store information for us to download off of it." Pidge explained, as she began to sift through the information. "It's been a way for us to hack Galra computers within their facilities and ships. It's how we get our intel."

"Well most of it." Hunk corrected thoughtfully.

"That's incredible!" Matt gasped. "Shiro, do you know just how technologically advanced that is?!"

"Decades ahead of people back on Earth.. believe me, I know." Shiro responded.

"You should see him fight with it." Pidge told him.

"What?! You can fight with it too?!" Matt cried, turning his eyes on Shiro once more in utter shock; fireworks practically shooting from his eyes in dumb-founded astonishment.

"What can I say.." Shiro shrugged innocently. "The Galra did incredible work on it… Despite how they did it."

"This might be the most advanced form of technology I've ever seen!" Matt awed.. studying the arm with his eyes and fingers.

"Heh.. it's quite a change.." Shiro admitted lightly. "But I've gotten used to it in the year that I was a prisoner. I must've forgotten some of it when I crashed.. cause only after I became a Paladin, did I start to _re-learn_ how to use it. Sometimes I wonder if there's _still_ things haven't remembered about it yet."

"Awesome!" Matt breathed. "Now I almost wish I had one too." Shiro smiled knowingly finding a bit of humor in this statement. The others gave him an odd look, but seeing Shiro's reaction made them soften up into smiles of their own; thankful to see that Shiro's personality hadn't been _completely_ dulled out by his off state. Shiro then turned to Keith.

"So.. what happened around here while I was gone?" The question caught Keith off guard.. though at the same time he was kind of expecting it;.. at some point anyway.

"You don't need to worry about that now.. you need to rest." The Red Paladin answered rather quickly, after coming out of a _'deer in headlights'_ stare from the haunting question; which was innocently asked of him by his closest friend.

"I could use the distraction." Shiro responded simply. Keith's haunted expression seemed hollowed out more… his reluctance showing even as they stared at one another.

"Well.. um.. after we recovered you from the wreckage of the Black Lion.." Keith explained slowly. "We found you needed immediate medical attention due to the injuries that our battle with Zarkon inflicted on you."

"Which speaking of which.." Hunk spoke up awkwardly. "Is still missing in space."

"What?!" Matt gasped.

"What are you talking about?" Shiro asked more intentionally, his eyebrows furrowing together in concerned confusion. And the team all exchanged glances, almost like sending silent messages amongst themselves.

 **Hey guys, how's it going! Another Chapter finished.. Finally! This story is progressing again! I'm trying my best to stay on top of it with everything _else_ that's been going on in my life recently. So hope you enjoy this next chapter and I'll see you guys next time! Thx!**


	22. Uncertainties

Chapter twenty-two: Uncertainties

Shiro's gaze looked like that of someone in a daze.. his blown away expression revealing the thoughtfulness of all he'd just heard.

"We haven't seen the Black Lion since then.. and we continue to search for it, even now." Keith told him quietly. "No one knows where it's gone."

"We had thought that it was off to find you." Pidge put in. "But I guess we were wrong." Shiro remained silent still and they wondered what he could be thinking about; some silently begging for him to speak his mind.

"Have we been tracking the Galra to be sure that they haven't found it or captured it?" Shiro wondered quite forwardly, despite his physical condition.

"All the time.. but nothing has come up within the Galra ranks." Keith reported simply.

"I don't think they're even aware that it left." Pidge realized in the moment.

"Well we need to find it.." Shiro decided. "I can try to call it to me.. but it may take time."

" _Time_.. and _rest_." Allura emphasized. "You should probably take some time to rest for a while, before straining yourself with such a thing."

"Tracking down the Black Lion _has_ to be a priority." Shiro insisted. His voice cracked and when he leaned forward his chest stabbed him back down to sit back again.

"And that's exactly why.." The Princess reiterated. "You're in too much pain to move, let alone have the strength to search the universe for the Black Lion. Rest is the _only_ cure for that."

"So.. what? Do we just let the Black Lion stay out there on its own?" Shiro questioned almost coldly, which softened a second later. "I realize that the Black Lion is a powerful being.. but I also know Zarkon.. And he has ways of forcefully taking what he wants regardless of how it is done. If he can still connect with the Black Lion after centuries of being separated from it.. who knows what _else_ he may be able to do. And if he finds the Black Lion.. before we do?.." His hand began to tremble, as he seemed to receive a soft shock(or so it appeared to the team); which faded like a wave washing over him. Shiro clenched his hand into a fist with a sigh. "We can't wait too long.." He continued seriously, closing his eyes before turning to look at Allura once again. "Zarkon may already be aware that it's on its own." Allura acquired a strange look.

"How could that be possible?" She questioned.. half dreading it to be true. "As far as we are concerned he still lies wounded, as you were. There has been no indication of his return as of yet."

"Zarkon may not be responsive.. but in my experience he could still hear anyone who comes to debrief him." Shiro reminded her. "If _anyone_ were to hear or see that the Black Lion is on its own.. they'll undoubtedly tell that witch who will no doubt go to see him. She may have a way of communicating with him even in this vegetative state.. as I was."

"I agree that you may have a point.." The Princess admitted after a moment's pause. "But your recovery is _just_ as important. We need to be sure you're _truly_ out of the woods, until we try anything. And that'll take time. We'll keep monitoring the Galra's movements and keep trying to track down Lotor. Until then, we work on getting you back on your feet again. The Black Lion will be of _no_ use to us without its Paladin."

"As much as I hate to admit it but.. Allura makes a good point." Keith sighed hauntedly.

"We'll keep looking as hard as we can." Pidge put in. "Scan at different frequencies.. Send out the Blue Lion's sonar imaging scanner.."

"Wait you have Sonar imaging too!?" Matt marveled.

"You know it." Pidge replied coolly, turning her head to peer at him dramatically from the corner of her eye. "And in the meantime we can start to get to know the _white lion's_ abilities too."

"Sounds like a plan." Shiro answered flatly. He stood up and almost fell backward again but managed to regain himself rather quickly. Strolling forward stiffly with a bit of a limp on the left side; as was to be expected, given his injuries. "I'm gonna go _try_ to relax for a while.." Then, with that, he left the room to head to his own, taking the wall in his hand and beginning to follow it down the long hallway. As he scuffled down the dark hall, he felt a heaviness pour heaping slag over his body; slowing his legs and almost tiring them out faster than they usually would. Slowing to a stop, he had to turn towards the wall to brace both hands to it and press his forehead to it. The cool surface of it almost made it better.. but yet it still throbbed with a pounding persistence he hoped to be rid of. The pounding seemed to steadily spin the room around him, forcing him to close his eyes; which brought little relief, but found he couldn't bring himself to open them again. For fear that he'd pass out from all the spinning, even if it was going at a slow pace.

 _XXXX_

 _How long had it been? Perhaps hours.. Or maybe just minutes._ Either way he'd been sitting there a while.. Whether short or long he didn't care. It seemed to feel right, either that or he was too scared to move.. and for good reason, given his current state. The comforting cold at his back and head soothed his aches a little, which he was grateful for. _Something my own bed wouldn't provide_. He reasoned thoughtfully. His eyes remained closed but yet his posture had changed, he almost didn't know what that was, nor did he care.. All he desired in the moment.. was relief from this ever increasing plague of disasters which ate away at his body and nagged at his mind. He could almost swear it was tearing at his very soul,.. at least that's how it felt. His brow tensed at the flash of a memory, so fast he almost didn't even see it. Another one came and he saw it more clearly, his grunt a little more defined.

"Shiro?" His eyes popped open at the mention of his name. "What happened to _'taking a rest'_?" Keith quoted approaching from Shiro's left to come slide his back down the wall, to sit down next to him at his right side.

"More tired than I thought?" Shiro implied slowly, as if unsure.

"I don't doubt it." Keith responded, knowingly stealing his friend's signature line; one of many in fact. "After all you went through, it's no wonder you're in such bad shape."

"Yeah." Shiro breathed, his overall posture unchanging, as he blankly stared at nothing.

"Come on,.." Keith spoke up again, beginning to get up. "I'll help you get there." Shiro took his hand and allowed Keith to help pull him onto his feet. A wave hit him near immediately, bringing with it a clear memory. And as soon as it flashed away Shiro jolted back against the wall, almost slamming his hands back to it; as if catching himself out of a fall. A stunned look showing across his face, as he breaths became slightly more evident.

"Shiro!" Keith gasped at this strange reaction. "Are you ok?"

"I remember something." Shiro answered disantly, he finally turned to look Keith in the face a half haunted look in his eyes. "Where's Pidge?" Keith's brows raised slightly in confusion, a darkening feeling beginning to creep into his body at what Shiro's mind was thinking.

 _XXXX_

"Ok I'm here, what's this about?" Pidge asked, as she entered the castle bridge once more.

"I'm here too." Matt added forwardly. "Something about Shiro remembering something important?"

"It's probably a good thing.." Keith concurred. "Cause Shiro.."

"I know where your father is." Shiro cut in, a doomful tone in his voice, as he looked up at them from where he stood; leaning against the back of the Black Paladin chair. The looks on the Holt kids' faces froze. "I know what I saw." Shiro reiterated, straightening up to face them squarely. "Search me I can prove it." He finished holding his right arm up to them. Matt looked to Pidge, who just blankly stared at Shiro.

 _xxxx_

Screen after screen, Shiro waited anxiously.. Desperately hoping he was right, but feeling certain he was at the same time. He just waited.. anxiously waited to hear any form of confirmation. A gasp.. a cry.. _anything_ that told him he hadn't just opened a wound that was only a scar.

"I'm not finding anything in here.. are you sure you have information on my dad." Pidge emphasized, fearing his reply. Shiro thought for a moment.. _he hadn't just dreamed it.. had he?_

"Wait." He realized suddenly. Reaching for the computer, which his arm was still attached to; Pidge willingly let him take it onto his lap. Typing rather vigorously, and finding that he could do so quite well. He jumped slightly, as another bout of shakiness started his hand trembling again; but yet he kept typing unimpeded. Initiating a strange program, it flipped a screen one way.. then the next, rotating it twice before turning white and displaying strange text, which they all recognized as Galra runes.

"Coordinates!" Pidge gasped, standing over his left shoulder. Then a picture of Sam Holt appeared on the screen with more runes and Galra numbers. "Dad." Pidge breathed, her heart leaping in her chest and pounding at her rib cage.

"How'd you do that?!" Lance wondered, leaning in over Pidge's shoulder.

"Was that some kind of Galra encryption protocol?" Matt wondered, standing over Shiro's right shoulder.

"Yes." Shiro confirmed, turning in his direction. "I opened it using this program and when it downloaded onto my arm.. I guess the program must've kept it protected."

"So my dad is wherever these coordinates lead?" Matt asked, awestruck.

"Yes." Shiro sighed, staring at the screen hauntedly.

"Shiro?" Pidge addressed him lowly, noticing the slight devastation of his overall demeanor. Shiro closed his eyes tightly.. his brows furrowed as he opened them once more.

"I know where this is.." He answered finally.

"All along?" Lance wondered.

"I just remembered where.. but yes." Shiro replied.. "And it's gonna be tougher than it was to rescue Matt."

"How so?" Allura wondered, dreading the answer.

"The coordinates lead to a lava rock and Carbon Monoxide planet." Shiro began. "It's a prison facility for brilliant scientists; forcing them to experiment with harsh substances and dangerous creatures. And the layers of security are _especially_ tight. If we're going to rescue Sam.. we'll have to figure a way through each one in order to get in and out without being detected."

"Woah, woah, woahwoahwoahwoah… _we?_ " Hunk echoed in an incredulous tone.

"Absolutely not." Keith decided immediately, pacing forward. "You're not going in there with us. It's too risky."

"No one here knows what they're up against." Shiro protested, despite his off demeanor. "I've seen how things operate with the Galra. I know how they set up their defenses."

"You've just returned from being hunted, battered and bruised." Keith reminded him. "And you can hardly see straight, much less _walk_ straight. Your ankle is sprained and you've been off balance ever since you woke up. And with the burn across your body.. it's worse than the one you got from Zarkon's witch."

"I agree with Keith." Allura spoke up again, coming to his side. "I believe you must sit out of this mission to rest and recover. And you can't help us.. if you don't recover well."

"I'm not gonna just ignore the situation.." Shiro protested further, pausing to think for a moment. "I can coordinate things from here." He suggested. "Keep me on the com. I should have a visual with Pidge's hacking ability and Coran's scanners." Shiro's expression lightened. "We have ways of keeping track of your movements from the castle, I can guide you through as best I can.. the schematics show exactly where Sam _should_ be located within the facility."

"Ok.. that works." Keith complied slowly. "Then the rest of us will be your other senses while inside the base. We may need to run some simulation drills in the training deck to help us prepare.. but otherwise I think we got a solid plan in place."

"Sounds like a good idea." Shiro nodded in agreement. "Pidge can help me set it up… her technology skills can help me create simulations of what you may encounter while inside the base."

"Ok.. we'll leave you to it." Keith concluded, beginning to leave.

"Wait Keith.." Shiro spoke up, taking a step toward him from where he stood at the back of his own chair, but was met with pain and then weakness; which forced him to lean on the chair to keep from falling. Catching his left elbow on the top of the chair's back, he steadied himself once more. Keith was brought to attention at hearing this, turning abruptly to double back toward Shiro; making it to his side tenuously.

"You ok?" Keith asked, taking his right arm tenderly. "What is it?"

"I'm fine." Shiro replied, he took a step with seemingly a lot of effort, but found he couldn't take another and fell to his knees; his hands hitting the floor to stop his fall. Keith came forward to one-leggedly kneel at his side.

"I'm not sure that you are." He said in a tenderly gentle manner. "You should get some rest.. Pidge will need to gather more information about the base anyway." He began to help him up, as he finished his statement. "I'll come get you when know more."

"Alright." Shiro complied breathlessly, finally making it to his feet. Keith nodded to the team, before helping Shiro to steady himself once again; as he guided him toward the door.

 **Hello everyone! A new chapter at last! I've been finding it easier to write more for this story, now that I've gotten past a bit of a writer's block, and lack of motivation. Anyway, this chapter and the next one so far have been really fun to write! And I can't wait to see what you guys think of it! Enjoy! Thx!**


	23. New Plan

Chapter twenty-three: New Plan

Shiro walked with a ginger stride, his right hand to the wall with Keith supporting him on his left side.

"The battle with Zarkon was a rough one." Keith remarked softly, almost afraid to say so. "It's gonna take time for you to get better.. but we'll get there."

"I know." Shiro admitted disheartenedly. "It's just a part of me that has become my enemy, I suppose." Keith's eyes lightened at this.

"What is?" He asked a bit forwardly.

"The uselessness that comes with recovery." Shiro replied willingly, he tripped and nearly lost his footing, but Keith held onto him; even as his hand trembled on his shoulder. Shiro sighed when regaining his balance and the trembling ended.

"Don't worry.." Keith tried to reassure him. "You won't feel this way forever. You'll get better, we'll help you get there. I swear."

"I know you will." The Black Paladin and Keith's closest friend replied, meeting his gaze directly. "But the Black Lion is still missing." He went on, as they resumed walking.

"I know.. and I agree that we have to find it." Keith concurred, as they reached Shiro's room. "But not at the expense of you." He helped Shiro to sit down on his bed, and carefully removed his boots. Shiro grimaced as the boots freed his aching feet from the constricted pressure on them; both feeling sore and raw from all the physical action they had endured; masking what little healing had already begun to take place in them. Gingerly sliding back, Keith pull the blanket aside and covered him up once he was settled. Though he'd never admit it, Keith knew, he could still see the pain level in his friend's eyes; mainly by the discomforted shift he'd occasionally make.

"Hey Keith.." Shiro's voice murmured, after a seemingly infinite silence.

"Yeah?" The Red Paladin answered, his eyes interested. Shiro was silent for a moment, staring straight up at nothing, as though thinking on what he was going to say next.

"How long has it been since our battle with Zarkon?" His eyes suddenly turning Keith's way. At first Keith stared at him in a daze, but then softened it as not to look so surprised that Shiro would ask such a thing.

"A while." He replied finally, adding a sense of ease to his unsure tone. "Months maybe.." Shiro's eyes turned up to the ceiling again.. if he was disappointed he didn't want to show it. Yet Keith could read him like a book, almost feeling his emotions through the empty space that separated them. "It took us mere minutes to make the decision to put you on life support within the pod.. we almost lost you several times. I was afraid that.. everyone was giving up on you. So when.. Allura said there was nothing we could do for you… I panicked. The team was considering letting you go.. but I.. I couldn't do it."

"Because of what I told you.. isn't it." Shiro implied, his gaze unchanging as his eyes went half closed.

"Yeah.. I guess so." Keith shrugged, leaning back against the wall, crossing his arms and placing a foot up onto the wall behind him with a shrug. "I couldn't let them decide to let you go.. cause _I_ wasn't ready to let you go."

"Well.." Shiro breathed half-heartedly. "I'm glad you didn't." Keith's bright eyes softened again.

"Yeah.. me too." He answered, almost mumbling these words as his gaze wandered away sheepishly.

"Something important happened back there." Shiro spoke up earning the young man's gaze once more. "Something significant.. I'm not sure why it's important or what specifically it is.. but it's important somehow." He turned his head slightly to him. "And I think I owe you my life too." His smile was clearly forced, but meaningfully so. Keith's heart flushed with a warmth, showing itself in his tender eyes, which frosted over with another fleeting thought that came back to him.

"But.. I'm _also_ the one who almost got you killed multiple times.. or captured at the very least." His protest seemed in vain.. because Shiro's distant expression never changed, and he almost wondered his he'd heard him.

"What happened to me.. is not your fault." Came the confirmation he was expecting, as Shiro would always respond in this way, to which Keith could not find it in himself to believe him.

"How is it not.." Keith protested. "If I hadn't taken off with you in the first place.. Lotor would've never found us and made me lose you during the wormhole jump."

"I still don't blame you for it." Shiro's response almost shocked him. "I can see that you blame yourself enough, for what happened. But I know you had true intentions when you made such a rash choice." Shiro's glassy eyes slid closed a little further, becoming mere slits now.

"You'd never let me forget that." Keith confirmed, wishing he had the courage to smile, even slightly.

"Cause it'll never stop being true.." Shiro's statement slowly faded into silence as his eyes gave in to rest and his body relaxed completely. Keith remained where he was for a short time after this, to be sure he was _really_ asleep. And when he restfully shifted his body away from him, he was certain that he was, from where he viewed it; just inside the open door, which he closed behind him and left him in his own brand of silence.

 _XXXX_

The doors parted to show that Keith was standing there. The team not having noticed, as they were otherwise engaged at Pidge's Paladin seat. Keith found them near immediately and strode over to them. Lance was the first to look up and they finally realized his presence.

"Hey, you're back." The Blue Paladin remarked. "How's Shiro?" He followed up curiously.

"Sleeping for the moment." Keith returned simply, reaching easily. "But if Shiro's right.. we don't have a lot it of time before things begin to change. If, for _any_ reason, they decide to move Sam.. it may take us forever to find him again."

"Right which means we need to play this smart." Pidge concurred, beginning to vigorously type again. "Ok.. according to this.. and the information that Shiro gave us everything checks out. Our suits will provide us with clean air, as long as we keep them on. The security systems are closely monitored and cameras and sensors lay everywhere. They're meant to trigger an alarm to signal the main control room about any intruders." The glare of the screen peeled off the surface of her glasses, as she looked up from it. "We can manually disable them as we go, but I'll need to build something first. Matt, Hunk, and I'll work on that, while on route to the base."

"And just how far away is this.. _base_." Lance reiterated, crossing his arms challengingly.

"According to the castle's records.. and the calculations on the distance of the coordinates.. It'll takes roughly two Quintants to get there." Coran spoke up in her place.

"There's a lead-gas nebula nearby that we can hide in until we attack." Pidge added. "And, again, our suits and the Lions will keep us protected from the poisonous effects of the lead."

"Wait.. lead-gas nebula?" Lance echoed. "That's a thing?"

"Apparently, it is out here." Pidge replied matter-of-factly, glancing back at him bluntly. "And it'll be the perfect hiding place until we're ready to infiltrate the Galra prison/base and free my dad."

"Pidge.. I need you to be aware.." Allura ventured meaningfully, coming forward. "Zarkon or the Galra may have already moved him to another location; unknowingly to us.. so be prepared for the instance that this is a possibility." Pidge's demeanor changed, but not to that of anything against the Altean Princess, but instead to something of disappointment or dread.

"I know." The Green Paladin answered quietly, her gaze falling.

"I don't want to take away the possibility of you finally finding your father, Pidge." The Princess told her, kneeling to her level. "I just don't want you to get hurt if something were to go wrong during this operation. After all, Shiro _did_ say that it'll be _even more_ difficult than Matt's rescue had been."

"I know.." Pidge repeated flatly. "But we're going to do everything we can to get my dad back.. and we shouldn't stop fighting until we do."

"Agreed." Allura concurred, squeezing her hand encouragingly.

"So who's gonna tell Shiro?" Lance asked.

"We don't have a solid plan in place yet.. and he needs to get some rest." Keith reminded him, only slightly blunt in his tone of voice. "If we wake him now we won't have all that much to tell him. And he needs to rest in order to be apart of this operation. He _did_ just return from a rough journey, you know."

"Which is why I don't believe he should be apart of this at all." Allura stated openly, a tone of certainty and frustrated restraint in her tone. "But since we can't stop him from wanting to.. Keith's right in that he should be resting before we move forward too far."

"Actually we may need him after all.. He's got something we'll need, if we're going to get in and out of the base without being seen or detected." Pidge countered seriously. Allura just closed her eyes and dropped her chin.

"Whatever the case.." She said, looking toward the front of the bridge's helm. "We'll need to start heading that way. Coran nodded and turned to his control area.

"Once we're there we'll be able to get a better understanding of how the land works there." Keith added. "And figure out a strategy from there. That'll give Shiro plenty of time to rest, while Pidge and Hunk work with Matt in creating whatever.. _thing_ they're needing to make."

"Right. So let's go get started on that." Pidge announced, looking to the two boys. Then they all exited together through the sliding doors behind them.

"Till then.." Keith began again looking to Lance and Allura. "We'll have to sit tight until we get there." Yet deep inside.. Keith's mind was at work in a very different way.

 _XXXX_

Restful silence, drowned out by a busy mind. No peace seeming to find the Black Paladin where he lay. With movement his side stabbed at him, the sharpness of it forcing him away from the source; while still shifting off his side and onto his back. Shiro's sleep seemed overrun with anything other than peace and rest. Comfort seeming to come very slightly with the settlement from shifting positions. The ache of his body persisted.. he had it in his mind to take something for it.. but didn't dare move for fear of making it worse. His eyes remained closed under a thick sheet of his own skin, which kept them from seeing anything around him. Leaning to his left, he lay right on the burned area; and, seething at the intense sting, he immediately shifted off of it to wait for it to calm again. His insides flushed, sending a lightness to his face.. as though his head were to float right off his shoulders. His brow tightened.. the scar of his face only slightly wrinkled from the hard cringe he wore on his face. No form of comfort coming to him, as he lay there practically paralyzed by his own pain; and not possessing any means of calling for help without feeling more of it. So he just lay there.. as he found himself being dragged back into the warm blanket of darkness once more..

 _XXXX_

"There doesn't seem to be _any_ sign of the Balck Lion and we don't even have an _inkling_ on where it could be." Lance complained, scanning the screens Coran had pulled up on the castle bridge. "I mean why would the Balck Lion just.. up and leave to find it's Paladin, without _actually_ going to get it's paladin? Shiro was out there alone for weeks, if not, months by himself and the lion _still_ didn't go rescue him?" He threw his hand in the air, sticking out from his body in disgust. "Sounds weird if you ask me."

"I don't know.. but Shiro's return has _not_ been an easy one.." Allura reasoned, turning to him thoughtfully. "And we can all agree it's because of Zarkon."

"Zarkon?" Lance echoed, suggestively unconvinced as his arms crossed once more. "What'd _he_ do? He's been out of action for months now.. just like Shiro was."

"Technically, Shiro still _is_ out of action." Keith remarked bluntly. "But at least _now_ he's conscious."

"Yeah-.. sure..right, whatever." Lance responded, waywardly brushing him off. "But Zarkon's been in this.. _'limbo'_ state ever since we beat him with that blazing.. sword.. Thingy…" His face slowly went blank with this statement. "Yeah, remind me how that happened again?"

"Shiro phased through Zarkon's monster and got his bayard back.." Keith recalled simply, a gentleness to his tone. "And used it to make the sword blaze."

"Riiight." Lance recalled, pointing a finger to him dramatically at the recollection. "So how are we able to assume that all this is _Zarkon's_ fault?" He shrugged, placing his hands to his hips; as he scanned the Princess for an answer.

"Zarkon.. has been attacking Shiro through his mind." Allura reminded him. "His connection with the Black Lion is still there.. and I fear it can never be _fully_ broken… but what Shiro has proven, is that it's possible to overcome the influence of a tyrant such as him. And we are just lucky that the lions have a way of helping us know when we need to rescue our own from themselves."

"But-.. Shiro's not crazy." Lance protested innocently. "And he's not helpless."

"He is in the hands of Zarkon. Zarkon has spent thousands of years honing his ability to connect with the Black Lion. Whereas Shiro's had mere pheobs to do it.. and yet has found a way to severely weaken Zarkon's bond with the Black Lion in the span of a mere afternoon."

"It's true that Shiro's a fighter.." Keith agreed thoughtfully. "But he's only doing it,.. by drawing upon a learned instinct.. Ever since he was taken by the Galra and they imprisoned him for a year; he's developed this fighting ability that's more drawn from a survival instinct than anything else. He's driven to survive rather than anything else, if the situation calls for it. That's why he's survived all of Zarkon's attacks."

"Shiro is a strong leader and a _true_ warrior.. but he still has that inward struggle of all that has happened to him.." Allura added, lowering her gaze. "But his strength to keep going, despite it, has always remained true…"

"..He has a long way to go…" She continued after a pause. "But his healing is crucial if he is to lead Voltron once again." And they all gazed off toward the door.. thinking in unison on this true fact.

 _XXXX_

Shiro's brow tensed.. his dreams soaring through his mind, as they often did. His panic was becoming more noticeable with every fidget of his body. A low hiss shot his eyes open, staring at the ceiling above in shock to feel a warm slimy sensation crawling up his right arm. Daring himself to look down the covers showed a small lump advancing up toward him and soon a sluggish head slithered up from under the sheets. The small blob of a slimy, charcoal hue had nothing to resemble eyes. Only a mouth that hissed with two sharp teeth, like buck teeth on the top and two smaller ones on the bottom; the remainder of its jaws lined with tiny needle point teeth and Shiro could barely see. Two clawed arms seemed to form out of the slug's narrow body, as it snarled again and leapt at his face. Sinking its teeth into Shiro's jaw, the Black Paladin immediately reached up to rip it off without a second thought. Throwing it against the wall immediately to his left, he slid out of bed smoothly; finding his previous injuries to have little hindrance on him in the moment. The creature snarled deeply and found the ability to launch itself at him once again. Shiro raised his left arm to protect his face, and the creature successfully dug its teeth into it through his clothes. The pain stung all the way up his arm in a pins and needles sort of way, when he realized a horrifying thing about the creature. This creature's body moved up and down in a sucking motion that almost made him feel dizzy, the subtle glow of it's veins cluing him in further. Lighting his hand instantly, he grabbed the creature and almost burned it away in his own hand; but as another wave came over him, he stumbled about for a second before dropping the creature and hitting the floor. A barely audible groan emanating from him where he landed.

 **Hey what's up, you guys?! How's it going! Another chapter coming in hot! I _REALLY_ enjoyed writing this chapter, especially that last part. XD Anyway.. enjoy this new chapter, and, as always, lemme know what you think of it. And I'll see you next time. Thx!**


	24. One's Worst Nightmare

**~warning: descriptions of blood!~**

Chapter twenty-four: One's Worst Nightmare!

Everyone looked up alarmingly, when hearing a surprised yelp come over the monitors. Coran brought up a screen, which showed a sound monitor that rose and fell as some indistinct grunting came through.

"It's coming from Shiro's room!" Coran gasped. Keith eyes immediately popped wide and he was gone in a flash, tearing down the dark hallway; hardly having time to light as he tore through it. Footsteps echoed his, but he hadn't a care,.. nor even noticed for that matter; as he caught sight of Shiro's door ahead of him. He stood at the door anxiously as it finally slid open; and his heart leaped at what he saw.

"Shiro!.." he gasped, hopping down around him to support his back to help him up as he stirred. "Are you ok?" He set him up and leaned his back against the bed built into the wall behind them, having him lay his head back against it. Keith's gaze brightened to see that mark on his face.. oozing crimson and looking down, he found another source of liquid life. "Shiro.. you're bleeding everywhere.. what happened here?" After a brief bit of silence, Shiro lifted his left hand heavily to point. Just beyond the small puddle of blood lay the scorched remains of the creature's body and mangle face; it's bloodstained jaws hanging open to sum up his unspoken explanation.

"What.. _is_ that thing?" Lance wondered, a hint of disgust evident in his tone.

"I don't know.. but it looks like Shiro took care of it.." Allura answered decisively. "Now let us clean this up and get him out of here." Keith pulled Shiro up, and he nearly fell again with the lightness that creeped up on him. Keith held strong, but by now he too was beginning to feel the distant onset of tiredness from supporting his friend's weight; which he could not on his own and Lance approached help. Keith had taken off his jacket upon entry and tossed it up onto the bed away from all the blood. And didn't think twice to touch skin to skin on his arms to Shiro's, to grant his friend the aid of stability; before taking it over his shoulder.

"Coran.. summon Pidge and the others.." Allura commanded, following Keith and Lance toward the infirmary. "We need a containment unit for the creature.. and our scientists to figure out what it is… ..And send the Altean cleaner drone to clean this mess up."

"Yes Princess." The older Altean replied, beginning the necessary processes.

 _XXXX_

Pidge, Matt, and Hunk gasped for breath, as they stumbled for the room. Pidge stopped short, with her hands to the door posts on either side of her, to keep from falling to the floor.

"Shiro?" Keith looked up at them to his right, and waved as best he could by merely raising the fingers of his exposed hand for them to see. The reason for this,.. they found near immediately.. Keith sat in front of Shiro in the center of the lowered level, amongst the cryopods. Shiro's forearms were braced to Keith's, blood still noticeably flowing from the wound it bore; and his forehead was pressed to Keith's shoulder as though he'd fallen asleep this way. The three teens drew closer finally, a daze across their faces; as they tried to decipher the situation.

"What happened?" Pidge finally managed to say, in a deep, concerned voice.

"We're not exactly sure yet.." Keith leaned forward to smoothly lay Shiro back against the chair, which he only received a little protest from the Black Paladin, who calmed near immediately once again. "We heard something come from his room on the monitors then found him like this." Blood noticeably stained Keith's black shirt,.. his exposed forearms turned red by the wounded paladin lying in front of him.

"All we know is that it has something to do with this thing." Allura answered, holding up the containment unit with the misshapen creature in it.

"Ah! What is that!?" Pidge cried, stepping back into her brother and friend in frightened disgust.

"We don't know.. that is why we need _you_ three to help us determine that." Allura went on purposefully.

"I've seen these creatures before…" Matt realized, studying it more closely. He took the containment unit into his hand and squinted to view its features… muddied a bit by the burns on its head in the ragged form of a hand. "Shiro must've used that energy hand on it.." He observed, looking up at them again. "It's face is totally trashed."

"Well from the look of Shiro's face and arm.. there's a good reason for that." Lance guessed, looking to Shiro with crossed arms.

"So what can you tell us about this creature, and where does it come from?" Allura wondered turning to Matt once again.

"This creature has a galra name that is untranslatable to earth english." Matt explained. "But it _is_ dangerous, we're just lucky Shiro managed to get his hand on it when he did."

"Just how dangerous are we talking?" Lance wondered suspiciously.

"Well, this thing has no venom.. but it _does_ have a horrifying ability…" Matt pointed through the glass to the pearly white spikes sticking out of the hole in its head, which turned out to be its mouth when they looked closer. "Basically this thing is an alien lamprey." Lance's brows raised in surprise.

"You mean those bloodsucking eels?" He asked.. finding it strange that he knew the answer for once.

"Exactly." Matt confirmed.

"So what does that mean?" Allura asked, leaning down to peer into the container.

"Oh right sorry,.." The boy shook himself out of his dazed stare. "Lampreys are a long, skinny fish that live in all types of water back on earth. Lakes,.. streams,.. oceans,.. and they have flat faces with teeth that can essentially suck your blood. Which is what this creature did to Shiro." He took Shiro's arm in a twisted length of white cloth, holding it up in both hands to put pressure on the wound for about a minute or two. Releasing the pressure, the teeth marks, in a unique pattern, immediately oozed blood; creating a stream down his forearm once again. "The creature's jaws are placed more like that of a sharp-toothed rabbit.." Matt went on. "But the teeth are sharper than a sharks. And can suck blood like a vampire or the lamprey."

"What's a vampire?" Allura asked lostly, her face completely blank; along with Coran's.

"I'll explain later." Lance answered, leaning to her briefly.

"Shiro did us all a favor though.." Matt continued. "If that thing got loose and ambushed _any_.. _one_ of us we could've been done for. These things suck fast.. and can kill a man in minutes. Shiro must still have been _just_ sharp enough to realize this."

"So.. what did it do to him now?" Coran asked looking at the distant looking Shiro.

"The loss of blood that the creature took from him must have weakened him further." Pidge supposed. "He must've started to feel lightheaded when the creature was sucking his blood, that he had to rip it off him in order to stop it; and collapsed from the lightness afterward."

"And in that time, he was able to melt its head down with his hand to kill it, so it couldn't just finish him off." Lance concluded, following the Green Paladin's train of thought.

"Now he really _does_ need a break." Matt agreed, as they all turned their gaze on him again.

"But now the next question is how did it _get_ in here?" Allura wondered decisively.

"These things live all over the universe and often land hop by hitching a ride on a ship or a person. So who knows where he could have picked it up from."

"But if it hitched a ride on Shiro.. why wouldn't it have taken him out by now?" Keith wondered intuitively.

"Well they usually attach themselves to a host or source of warmth to escape the cold.. and ride it out until they reach a warm, dark place to feed. One that's quiet and secluded." Matt explained, holding pressure on Shiro's arm once more; beginning to wrap the cloth around it firmly to press some more.

"Which is why it attacked him in his room…" Keith figured, recalling how he'd left Shiro. "The lights were turned out."

"And Shiro's body heat covered by the blankets awoke it to feed, which is why it attacked him now." Matt finished.

"It all makes sense." Lance remarked, placing his hands to his hips.

"I'm not gonna risk anything more happening to him when we're not around." Keith decided, as they all stared at Shiro; then he looked up to continue. "From now on he rests on the bridge with us.. where someone can keep an eye on him… No more surprises."

 _XXXX_

Shiro staggered a bit and almost fell as his body was eased back into the Altean version of what looked to be a well padded hammock or cot. Either way.. it appeared quite comfortable.. and, to Shiro,.. it very well seemed that way. The team had set him up on this cot at the back of the castle bridge; just so that he was to the right side of the doors, if you were to be facing them from anywhere else in the room. His silence was to be expected,.. and his reluctance to stay awake, even more so. But at least now, Keith held the piece of mind that he was resting close by; and desperately prayed that nothing else would happen to him now.

"Ok.. that was fun." Lance sighed finally as they all turned their attention away from Shiro; leaving him to rest behind them, as they gathered round the teludav at the center of the room. "What now?" The bluntness of his tone revealed the sarcasm of his words.. even as he scanned the group for an answer to his question.

"We still have time before we get to the prison/base." Keith replied. "At _least_ a day and a half or so. We'll have to pass the time another way."

"Got anything in mind?" Lance wondered, when Keith looked his way.

"No… do you?" Keith wondered blankly, his eyes still on him. Lance's face shifted to that of pleasure, and Keith immediately began to wonder if he should've said anything.

 _XXXX_

"Lance, what are we doing here?" Keith wondered disinterestedly, as Lance came over to briefly adjust his helmet.

"Relax, Keith, you'll love this.. I _know_ it." Lance replied, finishing his adjustments and held his own helmet on his hip by the grip of his arm. "This'll be just what you need to distract you from all the crazy upstairs." The Blue Paladin waywardly wiggled his finger about head level; hinting at his meaning.

"That's what I'm afraid of." The Red Paladin responded bluntly, as Lance put on his own helmet and took a second longer to settle it in place. "I highly doubt any of _this_ is gonna help me _forget_ any of that." Keith finished in his trademark certainty that seemed only slightly dubious; yet stoic and hard to read.

"Ah, you'll see in a minute." Lance decided, shrugging him off, as he finished messing with his own helmet briefly; for a second time. "Ok Coran, go for it!" He said finally, looking up to the booth hung above the training deck. They could vaguely see him look to the panel at his fingertips and watched him pressing things. Suddenly their helmets phased him out into a land of strange colors and shapes, which Keith had never seen before.

"What _is_ this?" Keith asked, jumping in surprise of what he was seeing.

"It's game simulator that Pidge helped us build." Lance responded, almost dryly as he held his blaster in hand across his body, implying Keith to draw his own. "It can help us unwind, you know.. Let loose, relax, find peace. Something like that junk."

"And you think _this_ is gonna help me do that?" Keith questioned.

"Oh come on, give it try. I mean what've you got to lose?" The implication Lance was making, lost Keith's train of thinking, given by his blank stare. "Just go with it, ok?" Lance followed up bluntly. Feeling no further pull of complete resistance, his subtle shrug clued the Blue Paladin in to continue. "Ok.. level one.. This is going to be easy!"

 **Hey what is up you guys!? Soooo sorry to have been neglecting ALL of my stories lately but.. Life happens.. And well.. Holidays, am I right? The other reason is I have also been trying to finish a manuscript for a book to be published(which I got done as of three days ago XD). And therefore, now that it's finished, I will be beginning the process to publication, and thus.. Have more time to write fanfiction. Another book is already in the re-editing process, but I will be taking this whole year to work on it in preparation for publishing that as well. But, as I said, I'll hopefully have more time. Enjoy this next chapter and I'll see you guys next time.. Thx!**


	25. Plan In Motion

Chapter twenty-five: Plan In Motion

Warmth everywhere,.. comfort surrounding him,.. ease which he hadn't felt for a long time.. and hardly ever for that matter. A distant growl willed his eyes to open, and for a moment,.. he wondered why he was awake. In the far distance from where he stood a white light, like a white black hole stood before him. From it came a muddled form; was it a person?.. or a creature?? The light grew beyond his ability to see and he had to shield his eyes from it…

xxxx

Grey eyes flashed open, his head jerking forward as he realized his alertness, returning him to the waking world.

"Shiro?" His gaze turned to the right, as the Alien Princess of Altea knelt down beside him. "Are you alright?" She asked him tenderly.

"Uh.. yeah..I.." He rubbed his eyes with the thumb and forefinger of his left hand firmly. "I'm fine,.. how long has it been?"

"One quintant, we should be arriving at the prison/base pretty soon. Just a few more Vargas I think." Coran replied, turning his back to them from his control panel.

"In the meantime,.." Pidge spoke up, as the team turned back to Shiro. "We have something to show you."

XXXX

A thin sheet of black material stretched over his hand like a glove; hugging the metallic surface like a second skin. Pidge's hands clasped his prosthetic hand with a silvery casing that encompassed all but his fingers and thumb, the knuckles above his four fingers lighting one by one.

"This device will help us to gain access to stuff inside the Galra base wirelessly." Pidge explained as Shiro inspected his hand with the special, new glove, covering about three-quarters of his forearm. "I have it linked to my suit's gauntlet, so that when we need to gain access to different rooms or hack into mainframes; all we have to do is power up your arm and shoot it's unique Galra signature into the lock's and vwolah! We're in!"

"Realize Shiro, this is essential to us getting in and out with my dad, without the Galra ever knowing a thing." Matt emphasized. "So we'll be counting on you to get us through. Are you sure you're up for it?"

"Yes.. I wanna rescue Sam just as badly as you do." Shiro responded seriously, setting his hands on the arms of his Paladin chair. "I'll be here when you need it, but remember; always keep moving. Patrols are constant and calculated; and the drones and sentries are tip-top on their schedule, so our golden opportunity will be razor.. thin... so stay on your toes.. at all times."

"We know.. we'll be careful." Keith nodded, placing a hand down onto the man's shoulder; who looked up to place a hand on top of it.

"I'll give you eyes to see what's coming and monitor your position from here." Shiro went on his gaze set on Keith the entire time as he spoke.

"Good,.. we'll need it.." Keith nodded. "Is there anything else you can tell us about this base?"

"Wish that I knew.." The Black Paladin replied lowering his gaze thoughtfully. "But I'm struggling to recall anything of it at the moment.. it's like my thoughts are.. a little scrambled."

"I can only imagine." Keith replied, a knowingness to his gaze.

"All I do know is that we should prepare to free the other prisoners within the base as well." Shiro went on. "If we can free them along with Sam and get out without them noticing; we might be able to gain some new allies, for when we begin to fight the Galra head on again."

"But that won't be happening for a while.." Allura spoke up with an utmost certainty in her tone. "You need time to recover.. Once we rescue Sam, we are going to do only minimal work for necessary causes, until you've fully recovered from all you've been through."

"We are the 'Defenders of the Universe'." Shiro quoted firmly. "We can't just.. take a break, while the Galra still have all the power over it. Zarkon may be obsolete, but his empire is not. We need to keep tabs on them until we can come up with a plan to end them for good."

"I agree.." The Princess replied. "And we will keep an eye on it.. but your life is just as important to our cause as any one of us. You're the Black Paladin.. we may have the White Lion on our side now.. but-.. Voltron isn't as good as a team without its leader." At this the team turned to him with silent nods, clearly in collective agreement of Allura's statement.

"It's ok, Shiro.." Keith spoke up finally. "We'll keep on doing what we're doing while you recover.. and.. once we find the Black Lion,.. we'll get you back into the action again."

"Til then we'll be secret in all our operations with The Blade of Marmora and get into contact with our new allies; the Rebels." Allura finished.

"One step at a time." Shiro answered, turning his gaze front. "Recovering Sam should be our focus for right now."

"Agreed. Coran, how close are we?" Allura inquired forwardly, turning the Altean man's way.

"Just a half a varga now, Princess." The Altean man replied.

"Good, then we don't have much time." The Princess decided. "Let's run our course one last time before the mission begins."

XXXX

"Ok, everyone, here's the run-down one last time before we begin." Shiro began earning everyone's attention, when pushing himself up from his chair with one hand and immediately finding it hard to maintain his own weight. Losing his balance backwards the Red and Green Paladin's predictably took off from their posts, Keith taking Shiro's left arm and Pidge sliding a handle into his right hand to gain an immediate base of support. Grimacing, his eyes searched down his right side toward the strange feeling braced to his hand, forearm and elbow; finding the answer in the form of a long metal rod shaped at the top to bend backwards where a padded cylinder opened up to cradle his elbow and half his forearm, directly in line with the handle that stuck out from the bend in the rod.

"I.. custom made this to help you stand." Pidge explained upon seeing his puzzled look. "I created it so you can be safer in trying to walk and move around as you've been trying to. It was pretty easy with precise measurements of your height, and arm's length; it should size up perfectly. There's a second to go with if needed." In finishing this, she retrieved the second one from behind his chair and slowly reached the open end of it toward him. Reaching across his body to take it willingly in his left hand, Shiro adjusted his footing gingerly to hold himself up so Keith could step back slightly.

"Here's the plan." He went on, gazing up at the screen once more. An image of the base popped onto the screen amongst other images running Galra and Altean script across them.

"You'll sneak in from here…" Shiro said as the image zoomed into another, showing a hatch the shape of a large, elongated version of an eight-sided across the screen. "It's the central conduit. It'll take you to the heart of the facility. Normally.. we would think that's a terrible idea because the main control room is there. But in this case, it's at the very front. The main control board sticks out of the rocks on the planet's crust and can blend in like anything else. The central conduit allows you to surpass all that and gain access to the very center of the building, which is the most pivotal part of the entire facility."

"Well that sounds easy enough." Lance figures, placing his hands on his hips. "I thought you said this was gonna be an even bigger challenge?"

"Getting through the central conduit to the center, is the only easy part." Shiro reemphasized. "Even getting access to the planet itself is tricky. This planet is surrounded by a nebulanic substance that maintains the atmosphere of the planet itself. The carbon monoxide-based air creates the toxic environment that is extremely dangerous for us to breathe in. Within this nebulanic body are some creatures that are supposed to only allow Galra ships into the planet's atmosphere. You'll have to take the Green Lion for its stealth capabilities, and slide through as quickly as you can. Once you're in.. I'll guide you through the maze to where they keep the prisoners and then it's up to you guys to find Sam so I can guide you back, to get out of there."

"Copy that." Keith confirmed, placing his hand back onto Shiro's shoulder. "We're on it."

"Alright, so.. are we ready? Let's get this party started!" Lance announced, pumping a fist to his side dramatically.

"The best time to strike is between shipment exchanges." Shiro told him. "And I think somewhere I have a log of shipments that are supposed to be here around this time." The Black Paladin finished this, while pulling up a holoscreen and typing away at it to find the screen he desired. "They planned it just far enough ahead that we'll be right in time for one of the final shipments logged here." He concluded, looking up at them.

"So then what is the earliest one to arrive?" Allura wondered, finding herself a little hesitant to say so.

Shiro typed for a moment longer before the screen flashed in the form of a change.

"Looks like the the nearest shipment will be arriving in less than two hours." The Black Paladin announced.

"Then I guess we have some time to kill." Lance smirked, peering over at Keith from the corner of his eye.

"Not gonna happen." The Red Paladin declined at the Blue one's glance.

"Oh come on, you know you loved it. Sheesh." Lance huffed with the roll of his eyes.

"Not happening again, Lance." Keith repeated, keeping his cross-armed posture. "That whole thing was ridiculous."

"What are you talking about?" Pidge asked with an emphasized and purposeful tone.

"Sounds like you killed some time already while the rest of us were… busy." Shiro implied, his gaze wandering away and back where his statement trailed.

"You could say that." Keith groaned, his breath more of a sigh than anything as he shifted his stance to the other hip.

"Something wrong?" Shiro implied by the look of Keith's face.

"Well.." Keith trailed, looking back.

xxxx

"Keith, watch your six!" Lance screamed, holding his blaster up across his body.

"Why? You're there." Keith answered simply glancing back with his blade in hand.

"Exactly!" The Blue Paladin emphasized, firing on the floating balls of snarling heads creeping toward them.

"What are those things?!" Keith gasped, swinging blindly to slice a couple of them, which exploded and burst into flowers as more appeared from the sky. Both paladins turned the same direction, as they were met by motion and a puff of a shimmery pink cloud. Sitting up at just the same time, they met each other's confused gaze, and gave a horrified scream at the pink and light blue pigment of each other's spiked and slightly torched hair. Both scrambling up and frantically swinging and shooting about to rid themselves of the odd-looking, bat-like creatures flapping and squawking down at their heads; chasing them wherever they ran screaming…

xxxx

"Yeah no, it was terrible." Keith decided quickly, his brows lowering as he shrunk down further into his cross-armed posture.

"Oh come on, if you hadn't been so worried about what those things were; we might've actually beaten that level." Lance complained, crossing his arms and turning away from Keith in a dramatic form of distaste.

"Well if you hadn't led us into that canyon of bubbling goo, after knocking us off that cliff into the river of.. whatever kind of water runs green; maybe we wouldn't have gotten lost in that fjord where we found those giant bouncy mushrooms that attracted those things in the first place." Keith argued, Lance now turning to lean in and give him a challenging look; about to protest.

"Alright, sorry we asked." Shiro spoke up to end their squabbling, his face soon lighting up.

"Shiro?" Matt asked, dropping his smile with his arms out of a cross led fashion; calling attention to the Black Paladin in the moment. "You ok?"

Shiro's eyes closed, his face still with his mouth held open slightly in a thoughtful manner.

"Do you hear that?" He asked, opening them again, and at this the team froze.

"Uh.. hear what?" Lance asked, shifting his stance.

Shiro closed his eyes once more, his jaw slightly more tense. Brow tensed and lips gently peeled away from his teeth in his trademark way, the thought escaped him.

"That distant murmur.." He said, eyes opening once again.

"I don't hear anything, Shiro." Keith said, after a time of listening. Listening with his eyes closed one last time, he gave in with a sigh.

"Alright, maybe it was nothing." He guessed opening them again. A sudden shock to his body and he grimaced. Leaning into his right side, he felt his weight shift as he grabbed the handle of his left crutch with a shaky hand. Barely having a hold of it, he felt his grip well enough to know he was grasping the very end of the handle; and with the tremble he easily lost this half handed grip and hit the floor on his back, being overcome by a darkness.

xxxx

Suddenly finding himself to be standing upright without any aid, he found this to be odd, but could not think on it too long before a growl and some paw prints showed up in front of him. Fading in turn as though an invisible creature were printing them upon the midnight ground in from where he stood. The growl echoed after them, when suddenly a familiarly shaped head turned round with a white face and yellow eyes; which flashed then burst into a light that enveloped him into it.

xxxx

"Shiro.. you.. ok?.." Keith's voice faded back to him, as he blurred back into focus; with the others standing over him. A groan and he began an attempt to sit up, only getting his right hand up behind him to finish the attempt, failing with the loss of strength.

"Hey, hey, hey, hey, easy Shiro.. don't get up yet.." Keith's voice gently soothed, pressure from his fingers encouraging him to give in to the weakness of his absent energy, and lay back once again. "You just lost consciousness for a few seconds." Keith went on. "Give yourself time to come back out of it."

"There was..something there.. I.." Shiro trailed, slowly becoming more and more alert, as he spoke. "I saw something." He managed to say more clearly, as Keith was able to help heave him up again.

"Like what?" Lance wondered, as Keith was able to sit Shiro up into his chair; which had thankfully been just above where he'd fallen.

"I'm not sure, I.." Shiro's gaze caught something that he looked up to quickly. "Look!" He gasped, hyperspeed cutting through the reaches of space far to their right appearing within reach of the green shielded planet that lay directly in front of them.

"The Galra fleet that Shiro mentioned." Coran breathed, approaching his control panel once more.

"That was quick." Hunk commented. "Must be ahead of schedule if they're here already." The Yellow Paladin guessed.

"Then the time to begin is now." Shiro decided. "Team.. get to the Green Lion, we need to launch immediately if we're going to get in without being seen or detected."

"But what about-"

"We'll discuss this later." Shiro interjected the Red Paladin's statement. "Now go. Our window of opportunity is closing.. we need to take it before it's too late and we have to wait for the next one. We may only have one shot at rescuing Sam from this angle;.. let's make it count."

"Understood." Keith gave in after a sigh. "Come on,.. let's move." The Red Paladin continued lifting his gaze. "Everyone get to the Green Lion." Turning a shoulder to Matt in preparation to leave as the rest of the team raced out the door to the bridge, Keith turned to Matt, who stood just behind Shiro's chair to meet his gaze.

"Keep an eye on him?" The Red Paladin implied, making no form of gesture other than the subtle tone of his voice.

"You got it." Matt replied with a thumbs up, then with that Keith tore after the rest of his team; barely making it before the Lion's jaws closed tight.

What is up fanfic fans!! Man, this was such a fun chapter to write!!! The different twists and turns that have already happened have been so much fun. And they haven't even gotten into the prison/base yet. XD Well here's to hoping the next chapter is just as fun! Enjoy!! Thx!!!


	26. Uncharted Territory

Chapter twenty-six: Uncharted Territory

Green peeled from view to blend with the space around it, becoming invisible to anything other than the scanners that registered their location on the screens of the castle.

"Moving in now." Pidge reported.

"Copy that, we see you." Shiro responded. "Now we gotta time this right. One wrong move and it's over. The base defenses, coupled with the toxic atmosphere, make them even more dangerous. We can't risk us _or_ the lions getting hit with that stuff. We don't wanna find out what it could do to us."

"Roger that. Proceeding with caution." Pidge responded, then disconnecting.

"Is it just me.. Or did Shiro bounce back from that fall way too quickly back there?" Hunk spoke up openly to the group that surrounded him, around Pidge's pilot seat.

"What does it matter.." Pidge asked dryly, keeping her gaze focused on the screen with only a very subtle reaction to his statement. "He woke up and he's ok now,.. what more is there to worry about?"

"I'm just saying,.. it was kinda weird though right?" Hunk went on. "I mean he hasn't _ever_ come back that fast since he got back.. And then suddenly _this_ happens? It just doesn't add up to me, and I _know_ math."

"Except there's no math, this is _Shiro_ we're talking about." Lance countered, dropping his crossed arms to his sides. "The guy's had a rough break these last few weeks. Why can't we just be happy he's starting to improve?"

"Cause it doesn't make sense for such an abrupt turnaround." The Yellow Paladin mused uncertainly. "I don't know, guys.. something doesn't feel right about all this."

"No time to think on it now.." Pidge said. "We're going in." Jerking the handles forward, the team had to grab for a grip to avoid hitting the floor. The Green Lion weaved around the Galra cruiser headed into the greenish haze, diving into it like she would a wormhole and powered up the thrusters to push them forward. Warbling in greens, blues, and even pinks and purples, the oceanic feel of the nublanic field surrounded them.

"This place is nuts." Lance commented, gazing out the Green Lion's screen on his immediate right.

"It's more than that.." Pidge corrected, looking up for only a moment. "It's science fiction come to life!"

"What was that?" Lance wondered, hearing a soft, muffled whoosh and catching movement in the corner of his left eye, staring out across the cockpit out the far left side of the screen to only find the same old warble of liquid-looking color. The Blue Paladin arched an eyebrow and looked slightly harder. From this strange new atmosphere a darkened shape defined further as a mouth of sharp teeth opened from a long, rounded mouth releasing a roar from it.

"*gasp* look out!" Lance cried jerking forward to take Pidge's handle and jerk it down to nose dive the Green Lion awkwardly into a barrel roll.

"Lance, what the heck!" Pidge cried, jerking her hand up to make him release his grip over hers.

"That _thing_ almost got you." Lance explained dryly. "We could've gotten caught by it, and unless you wanna let Shiro and the rest of us down.. You might not wanna let it."

"What are you talking about.. I didn't see anything." Pidge replied, her confusion catching his eyes briefly before focusing ahead once again.

"Oh sure, yeah, cause I just made it all up just to spite our location." Lance complained, hands lifting up then finding his hips.

"Quiet!" Keith hissed. "Look." The team drew their attention to the screen ahead, as the rippling blur cleared to reveal the crust of a deep red or purplish planet resembling features much like that of the Balmera in the sense of the enormous rocky points protruding from it and scaling it in the like, looking more metallic in appearance. Sticking out from the rocks a notably different configuration stuck out to the brainiest of Paladins.

"There it is!" Pidge gasped, zeroing in on a shape that her scanners traced and enhanced for better visibility. "That's the central conduit that Shiro told us about."

 _xxxx_

"We're in, and we've spotted our entry point." Pidge reported when her face appeared on the screen in the castle bridge.

"Excellent work, Pidge." Shiro smiled. Unbeknownst to the rest of them, his gaze dropped to his left. A reaching out occurring inside of him that felt odd, yet he couldn't quite decipher it. The tremble at his hand returned and he gripped the arm of the chair, where it lay, tightly; looking up to ignore it once more.

 _xxxx_

Pidge crouched next to the hatch, as the rest of the team joined her from the Green Lion. Pulling up her gauntlet screen, she finger tapped a series of numbers and unique Altean characters which she then used to bring up an all new screen.

"Ok Shiro, power up your hand so we can gain access to the building through the hatch.

 _xxxx_

Shiro's gloved hand powered up with its trademark sound, glowing an even brighter purple than it had in the past. Or maybe it was just brighter than Matt had first thought.

"So cool." the young man breathed to himself.

Just the same, the glow advanced up Shiro's arm in veins to encompass the whole surface of the black material covering; bluish markings forming upon the white of the cuff over his palm.

 _xxxx_

Pidge's screen lit up with the device she'd built on it and Shiro's arm to go with it, as well as the shape of a body to which only glowed at the right arm. Turning her stance toward the wall at her right side, she searched it briefly; skimming over it to find the dusted screen pad at the right-hand side of the hatch. Taking a waddling step back, she positioned her arm so that it pointed directly at the screen, which remained dark for a second longer.

"You _did_ test this thing out to make sure it works.. right?" Lance questioned, holding his weight over one hip and crossing his arms.

"Well.. yes..and..no. We tested it out on our simulators, but we didn't have time to test it on Shiro so.."

"What?! You mean you don't even know if it'll work!?" The Blue Paladin screeched.

"Shh!" Pidge hissed. "Do you want the whole Galra base to hear you?" Then turned her attention back to her work.

"Well that's just great." Lance complained sarcastically, his statement slow and steady with a tone of blunt disgust for dramatic effect; arms crossing once more. Pidge rolled her eyes, but when light showed up the corner of her eye, she looked to the screen in front of her as a glowing purple handprint the size of Shiro's panned up across the screen. The four divides shifted away to open up the hatch, so that they could begin the zero gravity float through the conduit until gravity began to pull on their weight once again.

 _XXXX_

"This is it." Keith whispered, crawling over to a vent that showed the center of a hall intersection through the many slits.

"Shiro, we made it." Pidge whispered into her com.

"Ok.. wait five ticks.. then drop down into the hall, you should find six halls with doors at the center of them, leading away from your current position." Shiro instructed. A patrol of two sentries and a drone paced by, and by the time they hit five.. the sound was gone.

When all the feet hit the floor, they all stood shoulder to shoulder facing out, the room shaped up to be something like that of a snowflake in design; each dissolving into darkness everywhere they looked. Glancing around from where they stood, they waited in silence.

"Keith, the hall nearest to you is the one you all must take." Shiro finally said. "But proceed with caution.. patrols will be coming by as you go, so you can only move forward. If you take a wrong turn, I can try to guide you back around to where you need to be but be on alert."

"Copy that, Shiro, I trust you." Keith responded, as Pidge shot Shiro's wireless handprint into the lock to open the door they needed.

 _xxxx_

"What's next?" He asked, as the dots that resembled each of them began to move down the correct corridor on the screen.

"Make a left at the fork, then pause for three seconds." Shiro instructed, his hand trembled more and he gripped tighter to stop it; paying it no mind. "Now move on straight ahead for three intersections before taking the right hall. You'll come to another six-hall stop."

 _xxxx_

As expected, when the doors parted, the team entered into an intersection much like the one they'd entered just previously, coming out of the hall they'd left behind.

"Ok,.. where to from here?" Keith wondered.

"Quick! Hide!" Shiro hissed, the team catching movement and ducking into the nearest and darkest hallway, flattening themselves against the wall. Everyone seemed to hold their breath at the same time, as the sentry patrol stomped by; the group watching them tentatively until they vanished from view.

"Their patterns don't all look the same as I'm used to.." Shiro thought aloud over the com system. "Perhaps we need to rethink this plan."

"We can't worry about that now, you're doing just fine." Keith told him, coming out from their hiding place once again. "Just keep going,... and keep your eyes open for anything that comes up differently. We'll follow you wherever you take us. Just get us where we're going, and we'll do the rest."

"Understood." Shiro gave in. "Take the far hall to your right."

Glancing in the direction indicated, Keith took off leading the team down the hallway, halting in time to flattened against the wall; the others copying him instantly. Frozen in place they waited for the patrol to go by, until their footsteps faded into silence.

"Shiro, that was close." Keith mentioned.

"Ih.. sorry." His friend replied over the com. "Must've.. missed that one."

"What's wrong, are you ok?" The Red Paladin wondered, catching onto the strange tone of his voice.

 _xxxx_

Shiro's thumb and forefinger rubbed his eyes, and when he attempted to see straight; the lines and defining features before him blurred into threes.

"-.. I'll be fine." Shiro replied lightly. "You should be getting close now. Just one more thing before you're through."

"Ok we're ready."

 _xxxx_

"Lay it on us, quick.." Hunk spoke up anxiously, gazing back down the way they'd come as the team filed through the next door behind him. "Or we're about to get caught."

 _xxxx_

Shiro sat in thought with his fingers to his chin.

"You'll have to do this in pairs." He said looking up at the screens above him. "The brig is just beyond that corridor up ahead. You'll need to open that last set of doors on the other side, but patrols are within minutes of each other; so that no one can get through unless they know the intervals."

 _xxxx_

"Do you know it?" Keith asked.

"No,.. but I have an idea of it." Shiro replied. "And I can see the patrols coming from here. It'll be tricky,.. but I think we can do it."

"I trust you." Keith decided. "Just give us the 'when'." Slowing as he approached, he then turned his back to the wall and felt his way to the edge of where the hall dropped into the one that intersected theirs; pausing to hear footsteps approaching.

"Ok, get ready.. only destroy sentries if they spot you." Came Shiro's low voice in his com.

"Pidge." Keith whispered, the Green Paladin seemed to read his mind, as she slid closer to his side. Crouching at just the same time, the two waited to see the robotic legs that strode by them. And diving across the hallway behind them landing into smooth, clean somersaults to return to their feet easily, facing one another in a mirror image type of low lunge position supported by their hand.

"Lance, watch your six." Shiro advised. "I'm not sure whether it'll reach you, before the last patrol does."

"Roger that,.. I'm ready." Lance replied, turning around with his blaster in hand; aimed at the ready.

"Hunk, Allura, ready.." the next patrol strode by and the Yellow Paladin stepped about with blaster pointed every which way to the other side, while the new _White_ Paladin acrobatically flipped her way over. The remaining Paladin paced backwards toward where he _needed_ to go, while still facing the way they'd already _been_. Luck of the draw, he turned round just in time to catch the indistinctly red gaze of a sentry; which he immediately leapt at shooting down then the one beside it. Scrambling across the way, while avoiding tripping over the damaged sentries, then tearing after his team down the stretch of hall through the door that led them onward.

Keith held his position at the front of the pack when suddenly a rising light gave him a perception to stop as the ground dropped out from them just ahead.

"Woah.." the team breathed, peering around Keith. Cylindrical in nature the room rose up and dropped down into the vastness of land and sky. Viewing the numerous floors divided by the layered spaces and the odd pattern of cells.. they gazed about in awe and dumbfoundment.

 **Hey guys! I'm back! Another chapter ready and out there. Chapter twenty-seven is on the way and I can't wait to see what you guys think of it! Enjoy! Thx!**


	27. Taking A Turn

Chapter twenty-seven: Taking A Turn

"Team.. Keith?.. anyone?!.." Keith finally shook himself out of it, a realization slapping him in the face.

"Oh- sorry,.. we're here." The Red Paladin answered.

"Yeah, _we're_ here.." Hunk repeated, trailing off to practically beg another to add on.

"But where's Sam?" This statement given by Lance.

 _xxxx_

The screen before Shiro zeroed in on multiple points, one finally flashing and bringing up a pic which he recognized as the commander's face.

"There! Three levels down from you on the opposite side." Shiro reported.

"Copy that, we're on our way." Keith replied. "Thanks."

"Hang on.." The Black Paladin began again. "I think there's a way to free _all_ of the prisoners and fly them out using the cargo ships stored below." Tapping at his panel for a few moments longer, he then looked up from his screen to the larger one above him. "There's an access point to the underground hangers at the very base of the facility at your location."

"Wait, how are we _possibly_ gonna be able to free _this many_ prisoners, without the Galra catching on to it?" Pidge protested, gazing across the vast number of cells all around them. "As you said, this base houses a skin tight patrolling schedule and thanks to _'sharpshooter boy'_ over there, they're bound to get suspicious and find us out.."

 _xxxx_

"..We need to just get my dad and get out." The Green Paladin's words felt familiar somehow and he could easily remember how, the thought weighing on his chest at the overall truth of it all.

"I know this one weighs hard on you.." Keith's calm voice spoke endearingly in his ears, vocalizing his thoughts completely. "But for once, Pidge is right. We don't have time to risk getting caught trying to free all these prisoners. We just need to get Sam and leave. We won't forget about this place.. we'll come back to liberate whoever else is trapped here someday. Just.. not today."

Only silence came back and for a moment Keith waited.

"Shiro?"

 _xxxx_

Though no one on Keith's end could see it, the grey-eyed stare did nothing to sway from it's unknown focus; straight ahead where even those who stood near him could not understand.

"Shiro?" Matt addressed him, leaning forward slightly where he stood beside him.

A whispering wisp made him completely devoid of the world outside his level of thinking, which had severely decreased due to a distant calling that appeared to be seeking him out; yet he could not pinpoint or identify what it meant. All he could do was stare.. as if that would help in solving the internal mystery which even he couldn't think to solve in the frozen moment.

"Shiro! Wake up.. snap out of it! Come on!"

Blinking in a flurry of realization the void dropped and he could suddenly hear the panicked voices that shouted at him to come back to attention.

Matt's brown eyes stared into his, and he suddenly realized the young man's hands on his shoulders.

"Uh-.. what?.. What's going on?" Shiro managed to ask.

"That's what I'd like to know." The Holt boy replied, releasing Shiro to straighten up to his full height again. "What happened to you there just now?"

"I don't know, I.. *gasp* oh no!" Eyes flashing up to the screen mid-sentence a horrible realization gripped him with what he saw up on it.

 _xxxx_

"Team, heads up!" Shiro's voice called on the com, putting the group mostly at ease. "A Galra patrol is headed your way. You need to get down to Sam's level immediately if we're going to get him out in time to escape without detection."

"Copy that, we're on our way." Keith called, taking off down the path to their right they dove into the alien capsule version of an elevator and rode down the three floors to their designated level. Bursting out of it as soon as the doors parted, they ran for about fifteen or so structured cells before finding a select one on their scanners.

"This is it." Pidge whispered, preparing her gauntlet. Then turning toward the team. "Shiro?"

 _xxxx_

Shiro's hand powered up and it seemed to shock the world white in an instant, as his vision of the castle vanished.

xxxx

Shiro's handprint worked its way onto the screen, panning up at seemingly a slow motion pace, appearing even slower to the Paladin in green. But when that lock clicked off and the door slid away, her world stood still as the metal curtain was drawn...

A hunched over figure sitting in the far right corner bent away with their face away from the source of light. The old grizzled material of their prison uniform could not deter the detail of their physical stature, and even matched the toughness of the wispy, gray hue frosting the top of what appeared to be a narrow head. Hollow brown eyes and a trademark frame around them; the immediate recognition that came to her mind exploded into a rush of emotion she almost couldn't stand to bear. Nearly hitting the floor from the heaviness that crashed down onto her shoulders.

"Who are you.. what do you want?.." a shaky voice questioned from the one who stood alone in the back of the cell before them. "Wait.." Looking closer, he found a continuity in the smallest one's appearance, as she stood before him at the front of the group in similar attire to her own. "Katie?!" Gasped the old earthling man.

"Dad!" Pidge plunged forward into her father's arms squeezing him tight enough that even she could feel a restriction on her own breath.

"Ok.. ok.. easy now." Sam chuckled through her tight grasp. "I may have survived this long under Galra imprisonment, but I don't think I can survive that kind of loving death-grip for very long." Clear trails down his face mirrored hers as their eyes met. Their grasp on the forearms stabilized the space between them, the air filled with a singing harmony that only they seemed to hear.

"Come on.. we're getting out of here." Pidge told her father, shifting onto her feet in a composed crouch, holding his hands on hers.

"We'll need to get going if we're gonna have a chance to slip through the patrols again." The Red Paladin spoke up earning both their attention as he strode toward them a couple paces.

"Wha- eh-.. Keith?!" Sam stuttered, looking from one Paladin to another scanning their faces in astonishment.. "Lance?.. Hunk what are you all doing out here?! And who's this with you? What all has happened since I've been gone?"

"A lot of things." Keith responded simply. "We'll discuss it when we're safe."

"Pidge! Paladins.. have you found dad?! What's going on!" Matt's voice cracked over the com into their helmets.

"We did why?" Pidge answered thoughtfully, staring off blankly as she placed a finger to her helmet where the com would be, at her ear.

"Good, cause you need to get back here _now_." Her brother replied seriously.

"Why, what's going on? Are the Galra onto us?" Pidge asked more hurriedly.

"What? What is it? What's wrong?" Sam wondered, becoming increasingly concerned.

"No.. it's Shiro. Just hurry!" Matt replied. Pidge met Keith's eyes, his finding hers having heard everything like the rest of the team.

"Shiro's in trouble, we need to move." Keith decided finally.

"Wait.. _Shiro's_ here too?! And he's.. alive?" Sam gasped, unbelieving of the mere thought.

"No time to explain." Pidge decided, taking him by the hand. "We need to go."

"Wait, someone's coming!" Keith hissed, and Pidge knocked a button closing the door on them. A patrol stomped by when the taller members of the team peered through the thin hole at the door to give the only bit of light other than the subtle glow of the purple lights scattered through the small room to give very little light at all.

"Ok great.. they're gone.. but now we've just locked ourselves in. Thanks a lot, Pidge." Hunk accused her bluntly, looking down on her with complete displeasure; who was already tapping away at the screen hovering over her gauntlet.

"But the Galra don't know we have _this_." The Green Paladin said. "Hunk, give me a boost." She finished, looking up at him.

 _xxxx_

Sliding an arm through the hole in the door, she maneuvered her hand straight out from where it stuck out, curling her fisted hand under so that she could ease it over to her left, and find the lock which easily projected a handprint from the beam on the gauntlet. And Pidge scrambled to pull her arm free before the door slid open.

"Let's move." Keith decided, standing determined at the front of the group again.

"How exactly do you expect us to make out of here the same way we came in, when the one who was guiding us apparently can't?" Hunk wondered when they'd halted after exiting the open cell.

"I remember the way. We just have to run three floors up and then we-.."

"-We don't have time for that." Sam interjected urgently. "Listen, I may not know the situation, but.. if we wanna get out of here fast there's a hanger at the very base of this facility. Just below us." At this last statement he pointed a finger down.

"We know, but we have to retrieve the Green Lion of Voltron so we can head back to the Castle." Keith told him.

"We can steal a pod." Sam shot back easily. "Use it to get back to your lion. It's our best option."

"Ok.." Keith decided. "Then let's go."

 _XXXX_

The Blue and Red Paladins peered around the corner from opposite sides of the hall, bayard drawn in hand in preparation for any contingency.

"All clear." Keith whispered. Stepping about as he entered the room, he led the sneak with Lance by his side down the line of Galra fighters silently waiting for anyone who'd happen to show up to retrieve them. Coming around to the right side of the first one, closest to them, Keith pulled himself up onto the fighter's wing while Lance remained on the ground; scanning the hanger carefully.

"Come on, we gotta hurry." The Red Paladin coaxed holding a hand down to them. Allura took it and helped him pull herself up. Lance turned front so the team was behind him, believing to have heard something. Sneaking closer to press his back to the side of the bay, he dared himself to peer out around it.

"Galra sentries dead ahead." Lance reported so they could hear him through his com link. "Let's make this quick, if we're gonna make it out of here without too much trouble." Climbing into the fighter, Keith dropped into the cockpit seat and began to power up the fighter.

"Pidge triangulate the Green Lion's location." He ordered tapping and sliding a few things on the panels before him. "Give the clearest path to it as you can."

"On it." The Green Paladin replied, already sitting crossed legged on the floor to pan through her gauntlet's scanners.

Easing the handles back slightly, the fighter hovered up and forward at Keith's command. Showering the sentries with blaster fire that demolished their own, the hanger door lay just on the wall they now faced, to the right of where the bays lined down to it.

"Hang on!" Keith warned jerking a handle forward.

 _xxxx_

An eruption of flaming clouds shot the stray fighter from its inferno, and immediately upon exiting a host of cruisers hovered overhead.

"We're spotted! Now what?" Lance cried, seeing the rising purple glows on the ships in their field of view.

"We move!" Keith called, lunging his handles forward to begin weaving through the ion cannons and blaster fire.

"Need to know where I'm going, Pidge." Keith implied slightly impatiently, while skillfully working the controls around in the difficult and complex maneuvers needed to escape the enemy attacks.

"Hang on… there, found the Green Lion!" The Green Paladin shouted, finding it on her scanners. "Uh oh.. the Galra seemed to have found it.. we need to get there before they have a chance to take it. Let's go."

"Copy that." Keith nodded when taking a brief look at the screen on his left, viewing the imagery for him to see. "Hang on!" Plunging the handles forward again, the thrusters burst, propelling them forward faster as he continued to weave on through the purplish beams; which only attempted to sway him from his objective.

"They're preparing their tractor beam!" Pidge gasped, practically screaming over her com. "If they fully activate it, we won't be able to get through it's beam to get to it in time."

Giving a low groan to himself, Keith wrenched his wrist to bring his left handle up, barrel rolling over the wreckage of a destroyed ship, which the cruiser fire had accidentally demolished instead of rogue fighter diving around it. Laser blasts from Keith's fighter successfully caused the disruption they needed to enter the Green Lion through its chest and soon the mechanical feline stepped up and took to the sky.

"We have the Green Lion." Pidge reported, hoping it would reach the castle. "We're coming back immediately."

"Oh, thank the ancients." Coran sighed, his face looking relieved. "That was indeed what you earthlings would call 'a close one'."

"It's not over yet." Keith mentioned. "We still have to get out of the planet's cosmic ocean/nebula."

"Speaking of.. it's just up ahead." Pidge threw her weight forward to plunge them faster toward and into the fluctuating ocean of nebulanic beauty.

 **Hey guys, how's it going! As you may notice, these last couple of chapters have had quite a few breaks. Most of them are mainly just perspective changes as you would see in the show. And I tried to define them as best I could, so I hope it's not too confusing to read. Also this had been another fun chapter and I can't wait to hear your thoughts! Enjoy! Thx!**


	28. Wake Up!

Chapter twenty-eight: Wake Up!

"Ok.. I think we're all clear now. No sign of Galra pursuit, looks like we're home free." Pidge reported openly to no one in particular; possibly only saying this for personal ease.

"I don't believe it." Sam marveled, gazing about the inner core of the Green Lion's hold. "I knew that the alien race was an advanced civilization, but this.. this is incredible!"

"And this is just the tip of the iceberg." Lance smirked in his usually cool manner, sitting so that his left arm anchored his left knee positioned up from the floor.

"I imagine so." Commander Holt replied, gazing over at him from where he sat by the wall adjacent to his. "And I've heard about the Lions of Voltron even within the prison, but.. to actually see them."

"And the crazy part is that they're not even Galra tech.. but.. I..think you knew that already." Hunk put in suggestively.

"I.. had a feeling." Sam confirmed. "Otherwise why wouldn't they still have it.. I mean they've been around for thousands of years and appear to have over ninety percent of the known universe under their control. I'd imagine it'd take an astronomical feat to ever get it away from their hands." Everyone braced hard as their floor and walls shook and leaned one direction slightly.

"What the heck was that?!" Hunk cried.

"Oh no,.. it's probably back!" Lance groaned standing himself up against the wall, dragging a hand up across it with him to maintain his balance. Another shake and he leaned into it to steady himself once again as everyone braced hard with him.

"What are you talking about?! There shouldn't be anything out here!" Pidge complained over her com link, as another blow shook them loose again..

"Shiro said there might be some!" Lance screamed in protest.

 _xxxx_

A giant nose bashed into the Green Lion followed by another, sending it spinning out once more.

Recovering from the spin-out the lion curled up then popped out, growling as it's optic lights lit up for a higher beam of light.

 _xxxx_

The screen searched around and all that could be seen was something of a dark ocean.

"Where did it go?" Pidge asked openly. Leaning back to adjust her seating for a more normal position, she was then thrust forward again by a blow that sent her lion flipping downward.

 _xxxx_

Another hit from a large finned creature and the others just sat idly by to watch.

 _xxxx_

"Augh, we've gotta get out of here.. and get these things off us so we can get back to the castle." Pidge vocalized, yanking the handles to straighten her lion out.

 _xxxx_

As Allura's gaze lifted, she could've sworn to have heard a growl whisper in her ear.

 _xxxx_

Diving away from another blow the Green Lion froze at a blinding light that suddenly exposed its color and detail amongst the darkness.

 _xxxx_

"What is that?!" Pidge gasped squinting at the light.

Another growl floated through the air for only one pair of ears to hear, recognizing an epiphany that the Altean princess realized would finally tip the balance they needed.

"I know what to do." Allura decided, her face becoming determined. "Hang on." She finished rising to her feet.

 _xxxx_

The hatch opened and Allura poked her head out of the hatch atop the Green Lion's head, staring straight over towards the source of the lights, squinting to see.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Lance asked over his com. "Those _things_ are still out there."

"I must try." The Princess replied. "The White Lion has come to aid us in our escape… I must try to get to it so we can get out of here."

 _xxxx_

"Pidge?!" Matt coaxed more in a panic now which seemed to reach through the com link to her by this point.

"I know, I know." Pidge returned hurriedly.

 _xxxx_

"Allura if you're going, you better do it now." Pidge instructed, her voice cracking in the Altean's pointed ears, but still clear enough to hear just the same. Thrusting out of the open hatch her jets blazed, carrying her over and around the beam of the lights waiting for her.

 _xxxx_

Pidge braced as she was hit again, holding fast to try and remain upright at the very least.

"What's happening?!" Sam wondered, his concerned face lifting towards the cockpit.

"Hang on.." Pidge strained, watching stressfully for the blue jet thrusters to disappear from view.

 _xxxx_

Allura, panting by now, hurriedly rushed to sit down, her screens popping up as she entered.

"Allura!" Alfor's voice breathed, as his still posture remained so in his holographic form. "Quickly.. activate the White Lion's particle barrier then disengage it immediately."

"What? Why?" The young princess wondered in confusion.

"Trust me, daughter." The former Altean king replied simply.

 _xxxx_

The high beam lights went down, and the trademark shield that the lions of Voltron all had, phased down around the White lion. And once it had fully engaged, it burst with a bright light a moment later, wailing cries signifying their success.

"Now let's get out of here, that won't keep those creatures disoriented for long." Allura said, turning her lion to lead the charge out of the liquidy field into open space. "Coran, prepare a wormhole we need to leave immediately."

"On it." The Altean man responded back for all to hear.

"In the meantime, you guys need to get up here _now_!" Matt insisted, as the lions landed in their bays.

"We're on our way." Allura vocalized in a low tone.

 _xxxx_

The blue tear in time and space burst open and Coran guided the Altean beast of a castle through it without any trouble. Leaving behind pursuing fighters, who'd missed them only by mere seconds.

 _XXXX_

The team dreading the moment, the doors parted. Matt looked up at them immediately upon hearing them slide aside, and the clatter of footsteps began.

"He closed his eyes for a second and I thought he was just resting them. But then his head dropped and I think he passed out. I've tried everything but it's not making any difference. Poking, shaking, prodding.. nothing works.. and then _this_ started happening." Gesturing down at the chair in front of him, slightly to his right, the team found a version of Shiro they'd never seen before. Both hands noticeably shaking, a tense brow and overall unsettled expression; they could immediately feel that something was off. Lowered slightly, his head hung; this hard look giving off the uneasy feeling which began to creep into the other Paladins' hearts and minds; beginning to make them run wild.

"Shiro?.." Keith addressed him, coming to kneel down in front of his friend and place both hands to his shoulders. "Shiro!" Beginning to lightly shake him rendered no response, now to their despair and concern.

"What's wrong with him." Sam asked a devastated look falling over the rescued prisoner, to which his son looked up dumbfounded at hearing his voice and seeing him standing there.

"Dad." Matt breathed shakily, numbly hugging his father in the complete shock that hit him.

"I've missed you too, son." Sam beamed, even though he wouldn't see, then breaking apart to reveal it to him. "But it appears Shiro needs our help." The Black Paladin suddenly grimaced, jerking forward then gained a slight jerking at intervals of seconds, a grunt vocalizing each one as they came and went; the shaking becoming even more evident and involving more of the body now.

"What the heck is happening to him?!" Hunk gasped. "Is he.. seizing?"

"'Can't be." Sam decided, kneeling next to Keith, eyes on Shiro. "He doesn't have a history for it." Touching the fingers of his left hand to Shiro's forehead, he dragged them across it to move aside his white floof. Dropping his gaze slightly, his fingers found his neck. About to withdraw, his weight shifted forward and suddenly Shiro's right hand caught Sam's forearm. The commander then noticed the grey plating and black material that made up the extremity he now possessed.

"How did.."

"The Galra did." Keith interjected, reading his words before they could be spoken. "They took his arm and replaced it with this while he was still a prisoner." Shiro's hand let go of him, likely so it could power itself up with it's Galra purple glow.

"Well I'll be.." Sam breathed, fingers of the other hand coming up.

"Uh-.. d..d..dad, don't do that!" Matt stuttered, fumbling over his own words in a hurry. "You might not wanna find out what that thing can do to you, that way." Sam's hands withdrew at the right moment, as Shiro's hand slammed down to the arm of the chair; sending out a small blast sizable to the blow, which caused Keith and Sam to jerk backwards.

Lowering his hands, which had shielded his face, Sam peered up at Shiro mindfully. The spark of inspiration lighting a fire that seemed more like a fuse to something which would lead him to the _eureka_ moment that could fix everything.

"Does anyone have a small bladed weapon they can spare?" The scientist asked, turning to the group.

"Well sure, but you'll only be able to hold it in its weapon form for a short time before it deactivates." Pidge replied, as she drew and shifted her bayard out into its weaponized form.

"That's all I need." Sam replied, receiving it from her. Waving Keith to get back, he set himself in a one legged kneel, holding the bayard tenuously, he hesitated before stabbing it down at the glowing purple hand; receiving a jolt that shot him flat onto his back. Once the initial shock had passed, Shiro was silent for a few seconds before a gasp for breath began a coughing fit that hunched him forward to recover his lost air. Finding it with a silence, he slowly laid back, including his head, opening his eyes slowly and panning them to his immediate right.

"Welcome back, old friend." Sam smiled, a light humor to his overall tone.

"W- eh-.. -Sam!" Shiro gasped, taking his thumb and forefinger to the bridge of his nose to rub his eyes roughly. "So-.. we _did_ make it in time."

"You sure did." The gruff-looking commander replied. "And just in time for you too, thank goodness." He followed up brightly.

"-..I'm.. not sure what you're talking about." Shiro returned unsurely.

"Do you remember anything from the last few minutes?" Keith asked him directly, and Shiro thought for a moment then sighed a loose shrug, with the inability to recollect.

"Exactly. You spaced out on us again." Keith told him, arms crossed while maintaining a soft tone. "Only this time it got a little more serious." The Black Paladin groaned lightly and leaned his head back, closing his eyes to somehow make himself feel better in the moment.

The team looked up when movement showed the Green Paladin's approach to Shiro with her laptop in hand. Wasting no time in anything, she smoothly connected a cable to Shiro's right forearm, just above the wrist, by sticking it on over his armor and sat cross-legged to support the computer for typing.

"Something still isn't adding up." Pidge began finally after a long silence while typing. "If it wasn't a seizure like we thought, there's gotta be something _else_ that's going on."

"Like what?" Hunk asked, his hands gesturing up a short ways with his shrug.

"We'll know in a minute." Pidge replied, then turning her gaze back at them. "All of our suits are programmed to register all our vital signs. Heart rate.. brain wave activity.. if something happened.. this might help us find out what."

"So.. what, it's a wireless hospital monitor?" Lance implied, crossing his arms to show his uncertainty.

"Kind of." Pidge replied, turning back to them once again from the loading screen. "We'll know his readings once I tap into the system and download the data remotely from his suit."

At this time, unbeknownst to the rest of the team, Shiro's face lit up. The growl of a past recollection ringing in his ears, and for a moment he thought he'd imagined it. But when it persisted with another to follow, he decided now that it was not in his head. A flash and those yellow glowing eyes flashed, then a sudden zap of purplish light snaked out across what appeared to by hyperspace snapping him back out in another white flash; the growl lingering afterwards.

"Do you hear that?" Shiro asked, as though only half alert, his eyes still staring in a surprised sort of way.

"Hear what?" Pidge asked, peering up over the arm of the chair at him; the team's expressions shifting over to him.

"Shiro?" Matt asked, addressing him at the sight of the Black Paladin's expression, to which he just received more silence.

 **Hey guys here's the next chapter! Can't wait to see what you guys think of it. This one was kinda fun because I was partially playing it by ear. It's amazing how you stumble upon things when you just discovery write through things once in a while. Anyway, hope to have the chapter up soon but we'll see how long it takes me with all that's happening in my life right now. Enjoy this next chapter! Thx!**


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